Lack of association between the FAS/FASL polymorphisms and cervical cancer risk: A meta-analysis

FAS/FASL gene promoter polymorphisms are associated with cervical cancer risk, however, results from previous studies have been conflicting. To obtain a more precise estimation of the association between these polymorphisms and cancer risk, a meta-analysis was performed. All eligible studies up to November 1st, 2012, concerning FAS-670 A/G, FAS-1377 G/A and FASL-844 T/C polymorphisms and cervical cancer risk, were collected from the following electronic databases: PubMed, Excerpta Medica Database and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database. The odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were used to assess the strength of the association via the additive, codominant, dominant and recessive models. In total, 10 publications with 11 case-control studies (10 on FAS-670 A/G, 5 on FAS-1377 G/A and 6 on FASL-844 T/C polymorphisms) were included in this meta-analysis. No association between FAS-670 A/G, FAS-1377 G/A and FASL-844 T/C polymorphisms and cervical cancer susceptibility for all the genetic models was identified. Following stratification of the studies by ethnicity or source of controls, similar results were obtained. In conclusion, our findings showed that the FAS-670 A/G, FAS-1377 G/A and FASL-844 T/C polymorphisms are not associated with cervical cancer risk. Future studies with larger sample sizes are required to further evaluate these associations.