BACKGROUND: Many epidemiology studies have indicated that polymorphisms in ICAM-1 are associated with a variety of cancers, but published data are contradictory and inconclusive. Therefore, we conducted the current meta-analysis to elaborate the effects of ICAM-1 polymorphisms (rs5491, rs3093030, rs281432, and rs1799969) on cancer susceptibility.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: We conducted a comprehensive literature search in PubMed, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated to assess the association between ICAM-1 polymorphisms and cancer susceptibility.

RESULTS: We enrolled 14 published case-control studies including 4608 cancer cases and 4913 controls. We found an increased susceptibility of cancer in polymorphism rs1799969 (C vs. T: OR=1.662, 95%CI=1.288–2.143, p=0141; CT vs. TT: OR=1.860, 95%CI=1.398–2.474, p=0.507; CC+CT vs. TT: OR=1.812, 95%CI=1.373–2.391, p=0.284) of ICAM-1 among the overall population. However, no association between polymorphisms rs5491, rs3093030, or rs281432 of ICAM-1 and cancer susceptibility was identified. In the stratification analysis by ethnicity, we identified an increased susceptibility for Asians in rs3093030 polymorphism (CC vs. TC+TT: OR=1.728, 95% CI=1.234–2.421, p=0.787).

CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the ICAM-1 polymorphism rs1799969 is significantly associated with increased susceptibility to overall cancer. Further studies (preferably prospective) are warranted to validate these relationships.

Keywords: Genetic Association Studies, Case-Control Studies, Genetic Predisposition to Disease, Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 - genetics, Neoplasms - genetics, Odds Ratio, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide - genetics, Publication Bias