Association between the cyclooxygenase-2 rs5275T>C polymorphism and lung cancer susceptibility: a meta-analysis involving 11,682 subjects

The possible correlation of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) rs5275T>C polymorphism with lung cancer risk has been widely investigated. However, the results remain controversial. To identify the relationship more precisely, we carried out a pooled analysis of ten publications involving a total of 11,682 subjects. In this study, ten publications were recruited by extensive searching PubMed and EMBASE databases up to September 14, 2015. The lung cancer risk correlated with the COX-2 rs5275T>C variants was evaluated by odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs). Publication bias, heterogeneity and sensitivity analysis were also assessed. The results showed that the COX-2 rs5275T>C variants were not associated with overall lung cancer susceptibility. In a stratified analysis by histology, the relationship between COX-2 rs5275T>C polymorphism and decreased lung cancer susceptibility was significant in mixed histology lung cancer. In summary, our study demonstrated that the COX-2 rs5275T>C polymorphism may be a lung cancer susceptibility factor.