Objective: To explore the association of fish intake with the risk of renal cancer.
Methods: PubMed, Embase, CNKI and CA databases were searched for case-control studies or cohort studies examining the relationship between fish or fish products intake and renal cancer. Heterogeneity among the selected studies was assessed using I2 score, and the publication bias was assessed using funnel plots.
Results: Seventeen articles were included in the analysis with a heterogeneity across the studies (P=0.003, I(2)=52.3%). A random-effects model was used to generate the pooled risk ratio (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI), and no statistically significant association was found between the risk of renal cancer and fish intake (RR=0.90; 95% CI, 0.78-1.02). In subgroup analysis, no evidence was found that the study design, study region or publication date influenced the results; but in the gender subgroup analysis, fish intake we found to decrease the risk of renal cancer in men but not in women.
Conclusion: The results of meta-analysis do not support an association between fish intake and a lowered risk of renal cancer.