AGT M235T variant is not associated with risk of cancer

Objective The angiotensinogen (AGT) gene has been considered to be implicated in the development of cancer. However, the results have been inconsistent. In this study, we performed a meta-analysis to clarify the association of AGT M235T variant with cancer risk. Methods Published literature from PubMed and Embase were retrieved. Pooled odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated using a fixed- or random-effects model. Results A total of seven articles including eight studies (3639 cancer cases and 6684 controls) for AGT M235T variant were included. The present meta-analysis showed that AGT M235T variant was marginally associated with cancer risk under dominant model (OR=1.12, 95% CI=1.02–1.24). However, the positive association was not stable after sensitivity analysis. Further subgroup analysis by cancer type did not suggest any association of AGT M235T variant with various cancers (all p>0.05). Conclusion The present meta-analysis demonstrated that AGT M235T variant was not associated with risk of all cancer or various cancers. Further well-designed studies with large sample size should be conducted to confirm or refute the non-significant association.