FACTORS EXPLORATION ON ASSOCIATION OF NAT2 POLYMORPHISMS WITH LUNG CANCER SUSCEPTIBILITY: A META-ANALYSIS

Introduction: Previous studies have proved that the alteration by activity of N-acetyltransferase 2 gene (NAT2) might lead to increased cancer susceptibility, including lung cancer. This meta-analysis was aim to investigate the impact factors of association between NAT2 polymorphisms and lung cancer susceptibility. Materials and methods: Literature search was conducted in PubMed, Embase and Science Direct databases up to March 2020. The pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated by Revman 5.3 software. Sixteen studies with 3666 lung cancer patients and 5184 controls were included. Results: Although no significant result was found in overall analysis, the statistically significant results were found in the following subgroup analyses: for the analysis in Asian males (OR = 0.52, 95% CI = 0.28 - 0.99, P = 0.05), the result indicated that the rapid acetylator genotype is significantly associated with an increased risk of lung cancer; for the analyses in Asian smokers (OR = 1.82, 95% CI = 1.29 - 2.57, P = 0.0007), European cases with cancer free controls (OR = 1.16, 95% CI = 1.01 - 1.33, P = 0.03) and non- smoker cases with cancer free controls (OR = 1.72, 95% CI = 1.12 - 2.63, P = 0.01), the results suggested that the increased risk of lung cancer is significantly associated with the slow acetylator genotype. Conclusion: In conclusion, region, smoking, sex and control types may be the factor influencing the association between NAT2 polymorphisms and lung cancer susceptibility.