Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha Polymorphisms and Cervical Cancer: Evidence from a Meta-Analysis

Background: Some previous studies already explored associations between tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) polymorphisms and cervical cancer, with conflicting findings. Objectives: Here, we aimed to better analyze the relationship between TNF-alpha polymorphisms and cervical cancer in a larger combined population by performing a meta-analysis. Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and CNKI for related articles. We calculated OR and 95% CI to estimate whether there are genetic associations between TNF-alpha polymorphisms and cervical cancer. Results: Twenty-seven studies were included for this meta-analysis. TNF-alpha -308 G/A (dominant comparison: p = 0.0004, OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.58-0.86; recessive comparison: p = 0.0002, OR 1.46, 95% CI 1.19-1.79; overdominant comparison: p = 0.002, OR 1.37, 95% CI 1.12-1.68; allele comparison: p < 0.0001, OR 0.72, 95% CI 0.62-0.83) polymorphism was found to be significantly associated with cervical cancer in general population. Subgroup analyses showed similar positive findings for -308 G/A polymorphism in both Asians and Caucasians. Moreover, we found that -238 G/A polymorphism was also significantly associated with cervical cancer in Asians. Conclusions: This meta-analysis proved that TNF-alpha -238 and -308 G/A polymorphisms could be used to identity individual with elevated susceptibility to cervical cancer in certain populations.