The association between the GSTP1 A313G and GSTM1 null/present polymorphisms and the treatment response of the platinum-based chemotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients: a meta-analysis

The relationship between the GSTP1 A313G and GSTM1 null/present polymorphisms and the treatment response (TR) of platinum-based chemotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients have been extensively investigated by many studies, but the results were inconsistent and inconclusive. The aim of this meta-analysis was to further explore the predictive value of the GSTP1 and GSTM1 polymorphisms by collecting currently available evidence. Relevant studies were searched in PubMed, Embase, and CNKI. Inclusion criteria were NSCLC patients receiving platinum-based treatment, evaluated GSTP1 A313G or GSTM1 null/present polymorphisms, and TR. Odds ratio (OR) with 95 % confidence interval (CI) was calculated to assess the strength of the associations. Subgroup analysis by race was also conducted to explore the source of heterogeneity. A total of nine studies including 961 NSCLC patients were qualified for analysis. We found that GSTM1 null/present but not GSTP1 A313G polymorphism was associated with platinum-based TR (for GSTM1, null vs present: OR = 1.77, 95% CI = 1.19–2.62). When subgroup analysis by race was done, both GSTP1 and GSTM1 polymorphisms were significantly associated with TR in East-Asian patients, but not in Caucasians. In addition, the heterogeneity disappeared in Asian and Caucasian patients when subgroup analysis by race was done. Our study suggested that the GSTP1 A313G and GSTM1 null/present polymorphisms could predict the treatment response of the platinum-based chemotherapy in NSCLC patients, especially in East-Asian patients.