Cumulative evidence for relationships between multiple variants in the VTI1A and TCF7L2 genes and cancer incidence

Genetic studies have linked the VTI1A‐TCF7L2 region with risk of multiple cancers. However, findings from these studies were generally inconclusive. We aimed to provide a synopsis of current understanding of associations between variants in the VTI1A‐TCF7L2 region and cancer susceptibility. We conducted a comprehensive research synopsis and meta‐analysis to evaluate associations between 17 variants in this region and risk of seven cancers using data from 32 eligible articles totaling 224,656 cancer cases and 324,845 controls. We graded cumulative evidence of significant associations using Venice criteria and false‐positive report probability tests. We also conducted analyses to evaluate potential function of these variants using data from the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) Project. Eight variants showed a nominally significant association with risk of individual cancer (p