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Human TERT promoter polymorphism rs2853669 is associated with cancers: an updated meta-analysis

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Abstract

The polymorphism rs2853669 in the telomerase reverse transcriptase gene (TERT) promoter region is widely investigated for the risk of different cancers. However, previous results remained inconclusive. Thus, we performed this updated meta-analysis to comprehensively evaluate the association between rs2853669 and the susceptibility of human cancer. A systematic literature search via PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science databases was conducted that produced a total of 19 eligible studies containing 23,085 subjects. The relationship was calculated with the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Statistical analyses were performed using the RevMan 5.4 software. The analysis indicated that rs2853669 is associated with an enhanced risk of overall cancer risk. From subgroup analysis, a significantly increased association in five genetic models (p < 0.05) was found among Asians, but no association was observed in Caucasians. Although we did not find any significant correlation between rs2853669 and breast cancer, an increased and statistically significant association was found for both lung cancer and acute myeloid leukemia. We did not find any association in other cancer types during stratified analysis. Our meta-analysis suggests that rs2853669 polymorphism in TERT gene is associated with an increased risk of overall cancer susceptibility, particularly in the Asian population. Moreover, rs2853669 is significantly associated with lung cancer and acute myeloid lymphoma. However, large-scale studies are needed to confirm our findings.

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All related data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are thankful to the Department of Pharmacy, Noakhali Science and Technology University for their support while conducting this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Science, Noakhali Science and Technology University, Sonapur, Noakhali, 3814, Bangladesh

    Md. Abdul Aziz, Sarah Jafrin & Mohammad Safiqul Islam

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  1. Md. Abdul Aziz
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Contributions

MSI: Conceptualization, Supervision, Data analysis, Software; MAA and SJ: Literature search; MAA: Writing—Original draft preparation, Methodology; MSI: Writing—Reviewing and Editing.

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Correspondence to Mohammad Safiqul Islam.

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Aziz, M.A., Jafrin, S. & Islam, M.S. Human TERT promoter polymorphism rs2853669 is associated with cancers: an updated meta-analysis. Human Cell 34, 1066–1081 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13577-021-00520-4

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