Association of NAT2 phenotype with risk of head and neck carcinoma: A meta-analysis

N-acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2) is a key enzyme involved in the metabolism of xenobiotics and plays a significant role in the detoxification of numerous potential carcinogens. According to its acetylation status, NAT2 acetylator may be classified into two phenotypes, rapid and slow. Numerous studies have demonstrated that the polymorphisms of NAT2 were correlated with individual susceptibility to several malignant neoplasms, including head and neck carcinomas (HNC). However, the associations between the acetylator phenotypes and HNC risk in each study were not entirely consistent. To assess these associations more comprehensively, we performed a meta-analysis. In this meta-analysis, 16 eligible studies including 2,965 cases with HNC and 3,919 controls were identified by searching the databases of PubMed, Medline and the ISI Web of Knowledge. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were used to evaluate the association. No significant associations between the rapid acetylator phenotype in NAT2 and HNC risk were found either in the overall analysis (OR=0.98; 95% CI 0.83, 1.15; I(2)=57%; P(heterogeneity)=0.003) or in the subgroup analysis by ethnicity (for the Caucasian population, OR=1.03, 95% CI 0.85, 1.24, I(2)=63%, P(heterogeneity)=0.002; for other mixed populations, OR=0.78, 95% CI=0.61, 1.00, I(2)=0%, P(heterogeneity)=0.47). In conclusion, this meta-analysis suggested that there is no association between the NAT2 phenotype and the risk of HNC.