--- - |2 Summary Recently, the roles of interleukin‐2 (IL‐2), IL‐4, IL‐6 and IL‐8 gene polymorphisms in gastric cancer (GC) have been studied extensively, with conflicting results. Therefore, we conducted the present meta‐analyses to better elucidate the roles of interleukin gene polymorphisms in GC. Eligible articles were searched in PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science and CNKI. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to detect any potential association between interleukin gene polymorphisms and the risk of GC. A total of 63 case‐control studies was finally included in our analyses. Significant associations with the risk of GC were detected for the IL‐6 rs1800796 and IL‐8 rs4073 polymorphisms in overall analyses. Further subgroup analyses based on ethnicities of participants revealed that the IL‐4 rs2243250, IL‐6 rs1800796 and IL‐8 rs4073 polymorphisms were significantly associated with the risk of GC in Asians. Moreover, IL‐8 rs4073 polymorphism was also significantly associated with the risk of GC in Africans. In conclusion, our findings suggested that IL‐4 rs2243250, IL‐6 rs1800796 and IL‐8 rs4073 polymorphisms may serve as genetic biomarkers of GC. - 'Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology and Physiology, Volume 45, Issue 12, Page 1236-1244, December 2018. '