Glutathione S-transferase gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to acute myeloid leukemia: meta-analyses

A large body of evidence has shown the possible relevance of polymorphisms of the genes that encode glutathione S-transferase μ, π and θ (GSTM1, GSTP1 and GST1, respectively) to the susceptibility of acute myeloid leukemia, but the exact association still remains uncertain. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to derive a more precise estimation of the relationship.

A comprehensive literature search of PubMed and Web of Knowledge electronic databases was conducted to collect relevant studies until 20 February 2014. References of the retrieved articles were also screened. The extracted data were statistically analyzed, and pooled odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals were calculated to estimate the association strength using Review Manager version 5.2.

Twenty-nine studies were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled analyses revealed that the GSTM1-null genotype was associated with an increased risk of acute myeloid leukemia in East Asians (P = 0.01; odds ratio = 1.22; 95% confidence interval = 1.05-1.42), and GSTT1-null genotype in Caucasians (P < 0.0001; odds ratio = 1.48; 95% confidence interval = 1.29-1.69). There was also a predilection towards the female gender for both of these polymorphisms. For GSTP1 Ile105Val polymorphism, no significant association was found under any contrast model. In addition, the presence of the double-null genotypes increased the risk of acute myeloid leukemia in both Caucasians and East Asians.

This meta-analysis suggested that heritable GST status could influence the risk of developing acute myeloid leukemia.