IL-10 polymorphisms and prostate cancer risk: a meta-analysis.

Evidence is accumulating that chronic inflammation may have an important role in prostate cancer (PCa). Three common polymorphisms in the promoter of interleukin-10 (IL-10) gene, -1082 A>G, -819 C>T and -592 C>A, have been implicated to alter the risk of PCa, but the results of relative studies are inconclusive or controversial. To derive a more precise estimation of the relationship, we performed an updated meta-analysis on the basis of 10 studies. A comprehensive search was conducted to examine all the eligible studies of IL-10 polymorphism and PCa risk. We used odds ratios (ORs) to assess the strength of the association, and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) give a sense of the precision of the estimate. Overall, there were no significant associations between increased risk of PCa and IL-10 -1082 A>G, -819 C>T and -592 C>A polymorphisms. However, meta-analysis suggested that IL-10 -819 C>T and -592 C>A polymorphisms might be modestly associated with PCa aggressiveness (T versus C, OR=1.162, 95% CI: 1.035-1.305, P=0.011; A versus C, OR=1.131, 95% CI: 1.012-1.264, P=0.030; respectively). IL-10 -819 C>T and -592 C>A polymorphisms might impact PCa progression. Variant alleles at both -819 and -592 were modestly associated with advanced stages of PCa. Additional well-designed studies are warranted to validate these findings.