Abstract
BACKGROUND: Previous studies suggest that the X-ray repair cross-complementing group 3 gene (XRCC3) Thr241Met genetic variant could be potentially associated with the risk of prostate cancer. However, results from these published studies were conflicting rather than conclusive. OBJECTIVES: his meta-analysis aimed to conduct a better understanding of the effects of XRCC3 Thr241Met genetic variant on prostate cancer risk. METHODS: We identified three eligible studies, 499 prostate cancer cases and 571 controls. RESULTS: Overall, significant associations were detected in the heterozygote comparison genetic model (CT versus (vs.) CC: OR = 0.71, 95% CI 0.53-0.94, Z =2.38, p= 0.017), and the dominant genetic model (TT/CT vs. CC: OR = 0.74, 95% CI 0.57-0.98, Z = 2.11, p =0.035). In the subgroup analysis by ethnicities, we found that this genetic variant was significantly associated with the decrease risk of prostate cancer in Caucasians for heterozygote comparison genetic model (CT vs. CC: OR = 0.66, 95% CI 0.44-0.98, Z = 2.04, p = 0.042). No publication bias was found in this study. CONCLUSIONS: Results from this meta-analysis indicate that the XRCC3 Thr241Met genetic variant is associated with prostate cancer risk.