Background: Glutathione S-transferase M3 (GSTM3) is an important member of the GSTs that plays a critical role in the development of head and neck cancer (HNC). Several studies have investigated between the GSTM3 A/B polymorphism and risk of HNC, however, the results remain controversial. The aim of this meta-analysis is to evaluate the association between the GSTM3 A/B polymorphism and the risk of HNC.
Methods: All eligible case-control studies published up to July 2013 were identified by searching PubMed and Web of Science. The HNC risk associated with the GSTM3 A/B polymorphism was estimated for each study by odds ratios (OR) together with its 95% confidence interval (CI), respectively.
Results: Fourteen studies from ten publications with 2110 patients and 2259 controls were included. Overall, the GSTM3 A/B polymorphism was associated with a decreased risk of HNC using the dominant model, homozygote comparison model and heterozygote comparison model (OR = 0.82, 95%CI: 0.71-0.94; OR = 0.67, 95%CI: 0.49-0.94; and OR = 0.84, 95%CI: 0.73-0.97, respectively); besides, in stratification analyses by ethnicity, similar results were observed in Caucasian populations. Stratification by tumor site indicated that the GSTM3 polymorphism was associated with a decreased risk of laryngeal cancer under recessive model and homozygote comparison (OR = 0.52, 95%CI: 0.30-0.89; and OR = 0.50, 95%CI: 0.29-0.87, respectively); By stratifying source of control, decreased cancer risk was observed in hospital-based population under all genetic models (OR = 0.67, 95%CI: 0.56-0.81 for the dominant model; OR = 0.66, 95%CI: 0.46-0.95 for the recessive model; OR = 0.55, 95%CI: 0.37-0.83 for the homozygote comparison model, and OR = 0.70, 95%CI: 0.58-0.84 for the heterozygote comparison model).
Conclusions: This meta-analysis suggests that the GSTM3 A/B polymorphism may be an important protective factor for HNC, especially of laryngeal cancer and Caucasian populations.