Polymorphisms in the HOX transcript antisense intergenic RNA (HOTAIR) have been recently associated with susceptibility to different cancers. Here, a meta-analysis was performed to derive a more precise estimation of the involvement of HOTAIR polymorphisms in cancer development. Data from cases (n = 7,772) and controls (n = 9,075) were extracted from eligible studies (n = 10) identified in a comprehensive literature search conducted in PubMed, Embase, and the Web of Science databases through January 20, 2016. Overall, association between polymorphism rs920778 and increased cancer risk was significant in allele contrast (odds ratio (OR) = 1.239, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.032 - 1.487) and recessive models (OR = 1.614, 95% CI = 1.082 - 2.406). In subgroup analysis based on ethnicity, a significant association between polymorphism rs920778 and cancer susceptibility was observed in Asians under all models, but was most compelling under recessive (OR = 2.128, 95% CI = 1.417 - 3.197) and homozygous models (OR = 2.764, 95% CI = 2.221 - 3.440). Subgroup analysis by cancer type revealed a significant association between polymorphism rs4759314 and susceptibility to gastric cancer in allele contrast (OR = 1.262, 95% CI = 1.073 - 1.486), dominant (OR = 1.280, 95% CI = 1.060 - 1.547), and heterozygous models (OR = 1.288, 95% CI = 1.057 - 1.570). In conclusion, the results indicated that HOTAIR polymorphism rs920778 was more generally associated with cancer risk, particularly in Asians, while rs4759314 was a risk factor for gastric cancer.
Keywords: HOTAIR; cancer; genetic susceptibility; polymorphism.