Quantitative Assessment of the Effects of IL-1β-511 C>T Variant on Breast Cancer Risk: An Updated Meta-Analysis of 3331 Cases and 3609 Controls

Objective: Growing evidence suggests that IL-1 beta -511C>T, as a functional variant, affects the risk of developing breast cancer (BC); however, the results have not been conclusive. This meta-analysis was conducted to estimate the link between this variant and BC risk. Methods: We retrieved available publications on IL-1 beta -511C>T polymorphism by conducting a comprehensive literature search on the Web of Science, MEDLINE, PubMed, Scopus, and Google scholar databases (last search on February 25, 2020). Results: The overall analysis indicates that IL-1 beta -511C>T polymorphism conferred an increased risk of BC under a recessive TT vs CT+CC model by 1.14-fold and showed protection against BC under an overdominant CT vs TT+CC genetic contrast model (odds ratio = 0.84). Stratified analysis based on ethnicity revealed the protective effect of this single-nucleotide polymorphism against BC risk in Caucasian patients. Conclusion: Our data results provide a proof of concept for the association of IL-1 beta -511C>T with BC risk. Larger, well-designed population-based studies are needed to confirm these findings.

Automated summary

This meta-analysis investigates the association between IL-1 beta -511C>T polymorphism and breast cancer risk, revealing its dual role of increasing and reducing the risk of developing breast cancer. Ethnicity stratified analysis indicates a protective effect of this polymorphism in Caucasian populations against breast cancer.