MTHFR C677T polymorphism contributes to colorectal cancer susceptibility: evidence from 61 case–control studies

Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) is believed to be involved in folate metabolism which plays a critical role in carcinogenesis. To date, many case–control studies have investigated the association between MTHFR C677T polymorphism and colorectal cancer risk. However, the results were inconsistent. In order to derive a more precise estimation of the association, we conducted this meta-analysis. This meta-analysis recruited 61 published studies which were selected by a search of PubMed up to 31st September 2011, including 16,111 colorectal cancer cases and 23,192 controls. We used crude odds ratios (ORs) with 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) to assess the association between MTHFR C677T polymorphism and colorectal cancer susceptibility. Our results showed that MTHFR C667T polymorphism contributed to the decreased colorectal cancer risk in overall population (for TT vs. CC: OR = 0.89, 95 % CI = 0.82–0.97; for TT vs. CT/CC: OR = 0.88, 95 % CI = 0.83–0.92). In subgroup analysis by ethnicity, the results also indicated a correlation between the T allele of MTHFR C667T and the colorectal cancer risk in Asian population (for TT vs. CC: OR = 0.82, 95 % CI = 0.69–0.97; for TT vs. CT/CC: OR = 0.81, 95 % CI = 0.74–0.90). Additionally, the correlation was also observed in male subgroup in sub-analysis by gender (for TT vs. CC: OR = 0.82, 95 % CI = 0.71–0.93; for TT vs. CT/CC: OR = 0.81, 95 % CI = 0.71–0.92). In summary, our meta-analysis strongly indicated the MTHFR C667T polymorphism was associated with a reduced risk of CRC.