Glutathione-S-transferase T1 polymorphism is associated with esophageal cancer risk in Chinese Han population.

Background: Glutathione-S-Transferase T1 (GSTT1) gene has been shown to be involved in the development of esophageal cancer. However, the results have been inconsistent. In this study, the authors performed a meta- analysis to clarify the association between GSTT1 polymorphism and esophageal cancer risk among Chinese Han population. Methods: Published literature from PubMed, the China National Knowledge Infrastructure and Wanfang Data were searched. Pooled odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95%CI) was calculated using a fixed- or random-effects model. Results: Eleven studies with a total of 2779 individuals were included in the meta-analysis. The results showed that GSTT1 null genotype was significantly associated with esophageal cancer risk in Chinese (OR = 1.31, 95%CI 1.12 to 1.53, p = 0.001). Further sensitivity analyses confirmed the significant association. The cumulative meta-analysis showed a trend of an obvious association between GSTT1 null genotype and esophageal cancer risk as information accumulated by year. Conclusions: This meta-analysis suggests a significant association of GSTT1 null genotype with esophageal cancer risk in the Chinese Han population.