The TERT rs2736100 Polymorphism and Cancer Risk: A Meta-analysis Based on 25 Case-Control Studies

A computerized search of PubMed and Embase database for publications on the TERT rs2736100 polymorphism and cancer risk was performed and the genotype data were analyzed in a meta-analysis. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated to assess the association. Sensitivity analysis, test of heterogeneity, cumulative meta-analysis and assessment of bias were performed in our meta-analysis.A significant association between the TERT rs2736100 polymorphism and cancer susceptibility was revealed by the results of the meta-analysis of the 25 case-control studies (GG versus TT: OR = 1.72, 95% CI: 1.58, 1.88; GT versus TT: OR = 1.38, 95% CI: 1.29, 1.47; dominant model-TG + GG versus TT: OR = 1.47, 95% CI: 1.37, 1.58; recessive model-GG versus TT + TG: OR = 1.37, 95% CI 1.31, 1.43; additive model-2GG + TG versus 2TT + TG: OR = 1.30, 95% CI: 1.25, 1.36). Moreover, increased cancer risk in all genetic models was found after stratification of the SNP data by cancer type, ethnicity and source of controls.In all genetic models, the association between the TERT rs2736100 polymorphism and cancer risk was significant. This meta-analysis suggests that the TERT rs2736100 polymorphism may be a risk factor for cancer. Further functional studies between this polymorphism and cancer risk are warranted.Cancer is a multifactorial disease, which is the result of complex interactions between inherited and environmental factors. Lung cancer is the most common malignancy and the leading cause of cancer deaths for women and men worldwide [1-3]. There are two main histologic subgroups of lung cancer: small-cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) and non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC); the latter includes the common types, which are squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and adenocarcinoma (ADC). Gliomas of astrocytic, oligodendroglial, and ependymal origin are derived from glial cells and account for Fax~80% of malignant primary brain tumors (PBTs), which are the most common histologic type