Abstract
BACKGROUND: We evaluated the association between the I/D polymorphism in the ACE gene and lung cancer risk by performing a meta-analysis. METHODS: The heterogeneity in the study was tested using the Cochran χ(2)-based Q statistic test and I(2) test, and then the random ratio or fixed effect was utilized to merge the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to estimate the strength of the association between ACE polymorphisms and susceptibility to lung cancer. Sensitivity analysis was also performed. Using funnel plot and Begg's rank test, we investigated the publication bias. All statistical analyses were performed using Stata 12.0 and RevMan 5.3. RESULTS: A total of 4307 participants (2181 patients; 2126 controls) were included in the 12 case-control studies. No significant association was found between the ACE I/D polymorphism and lung cancer risk (II vs. ID + DD: OR = 1.22, 95% CI = 0.89-1.68; II + ID vs. DD: OR = 1.21, 95% CI = 0.90-1.63; I vs. D: OR = 1.15, 95% CI = 0.95-1.39). In the subgroup analysis by ethnicity, no significant association between the ACE I/D polymorphism and lung cancer risk was found among Asian and Caucasian populations for the comparisons of II vs. ID + DD, II + ID vs. DD, and I vs. D genetic models. CONCLUSION: The ACE I/D polymorphism is not associated with the risk of lung cancer.