TNF-α-308A>G and IL-10-819C>T polymorphisms as risk factors for cervical cancer: A case-control study, meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis

Polymorphisms in the cytokine genes have been associated with immunological variations that lead to susceptibility to HPV infection and the development of cervical cancer. This study aims to evaluate the influence of TNF-α -308G>A and IL-10 -819C>T polymorphisms on cervical cancer susceptibility through a case-control study, meta-analysis and Trial Sequential Analysis (TSA). A case–control study including 45 cervical cancer patients and 179 healthy controls was conducted. TNF-α -308G>A and IL-10 -819C>T polymorphisms were analysed using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR real-time). For the meta-analysis, published articles were electronically searched through the databases PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus and Web of science. In the case-control study, the IL-10 -819T carriers were associated with an increased risk of cervical cancer. While the TNF-α -308G>A polymorphism was not associated with cervical cancer, but sample power was less than 80% (70%). The meta-analysis and TSA showed that both TNF-α -308A (Overall, Asian, Caucasian and African analysis) and IL-10 -819T (Overall and Asian analysis) carriers were associated with an increased risk of cervical cancer. In conclusion, the IL-10 -819C>T and TNF-α -308G>A polymorphisms may be an important genetic biomarker for identifying the risk of developing cervical cancer. [Display omitted]