Influence of the ABCB1 polymorphisms on the response to Taxane-containing chemotherapy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE Multidrug resistance mediated by ABCB1 has been perceived to be one of the obstacles for cancer chemotherapy. This meta-analysis was performed to verify the effect of the ABCB1 rs1045642 and rs1128503 polymorphisms on the response to Taxane-containing chemotherapy. METHODS Pooled odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were employed to evaluate the impact of these two ABCB1 polymorphisms. R scripts were developed to perform the meta-analysis. RESULTS A total of nine articles (including nine studies for rs1045642 and five for rs1128503) were collected in our systematic review. However, our meta-analysis showed no significant effect of these two ABCB1 polymorphisms on the response to Taxane-containing regimens. CONCLUSIONS This study highlights the unsuitability of relying on the ABCB1 rs1045642 and rs1128503 polymorphisms as therapeutic response biomarkers of Taxane-containing chemotherapy. Further polycentric studies in larger and multiracial populations are needed to validate the conclusions.