Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Evidence is accumulating that several genes encoding DNA repair molecules may be cancer-susceptibility genes. Recently, SNPs in XRCC4, a member of DNA repair genes, have been implicated in altering the risk of various cancers. However, the results of these studies are inconclusive or controversial. To derive a more precise estimation, we performed an updated meta-analysis. METHODS: A comprehensive search was conducted to examine all the eligible studies about XRCC4 polymorphism and cancer risk. We used odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to assess the strength of the association. RESULTS: We included 31 studies investigated 8 SNPs in XRCC4. Overall, our paper showed significant associations between the rs28360071, rs2075686 polymorphisms and cancer risk. In addition, significant association was maintained in prostate cancer (rs28360071), lung cancer (rs6869366) and bladder cancer (rs1805377) subgroups analysis. CONCLUSIONS: We conducted a systematic search and combined the available results in this meta-analysis, which provided evidence of the associations between SNPs in XRCC4 and cancer risk. The results suggested that rs28360071 polymorphisms were significantly associated with cancer risk. However, future studies are needed to investigate molecular mechanisms underlying the biological functions of XRCC4 SNPs in cancer development.