SDF1-3′A polymorphism is associated with increased risk of hematological malignancy: a meta-analysis

CXCL12 (also named SDF1), a member of the chemokine family, has been demonstrated to play an important role in the progression of multiple types of hematological malignancy. Several recent studies have shown that SDF1-3'A polymorphism (rs1801157) is associated with susceptibility to hematological malignancy, but published studies' results are disputed. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the relationship between SDF1-3'A polymorphism and the risk of hematological malignancy based on the existing literature. We carried out a comprehensive literature search using the Web of Science, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Chinese Wan Fang, and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure databases. And the raw data were extracted and calculated in standard steps of meta-analysis. Overall, nine qualified studies containing 1,576 cases and 1,674 controls were included in the ultimate meta-analysis. The pooled results displayed that AA genotype significantly increased the risk of hematological malignancy. The result of subgroup analysis further indicated that SDF1-3'A polymorphism was significantly associated with increased risk of chronic myeloid leukemia, Hodgkin's lymphoma and multiple myeloma, but was not associated with increased risk of acute myeloid leukemia and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. In addition, SDF1-3'A polymorphism was associated with increased risk of hematological malignancy in Africans and Asians, but not in Caucasians. In conclusion, our meta-analysis firstly demonstrated that SDF1-3'A polymorphism may be associated with increased risk of hematological malignancy, especially for chronic myeloid leukemia, Hodgkin's lymphoma, multiple myeloma and the non-Caucasian population. Nevertheless, these conclusions should be reconfirmed by more evidence from large sample sized studies.