Association between IFNL4 rs368234815 polymorphism and sustained virological response in chronic hepatitis C patients undergoing PEGylated interferon/ribavirin therapy: A meta-analysis.

Background And Aims: Many studies have been published on the association between IFNL4 rs368234815 single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and sustained virological response (SVR) in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients undergoing treatment with PEGylated interferon (PEG-IFN) plus ribavirin (RBV). Because of the variable and sometimes inconsistent results, we performed a meta-analysis to estimate the association between these factors.

Methods: We conducted a search of the literature published prior to July 1, 2014. The pooled results were analyzed as the odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using random-effect model.

Results: The pooled results revealed that the rs368234815 TT/TT genotype was significantly correlated with SVR in HCV-1/4-infected Caucasian patients (OR=4.65, 95% CI=3.36-6.42, P<0.00001) but not in HCV-2/3-infected Caucasian patients (OR=1.44, 95% CI: 0.89-2.33, P=0.13). Conversely, the rs368234815 ΔG/ΔG genotype was significantly linked to treatment failure in Caucasian patients (OR=0.49, 95% CI: 0.38-0.64, P<0.00001), regardless of the HCV genotype.

Conclusion: The results of the meta-analysis suggest that IFNL4 rs368234815 polymorphism may be a predictor of SVR in Caucasian HCV-1/4-infected patients.