XRCC1 Arg399Gln, Arg194Trp, and Arg280His Polymorphisms in Esophageal Cancer Risk: A Meta-Analysis

Background The X-ray repair cross-complementation group 1 (XRCC1) protein plays an important role in base excision repair. Aim To elucidate the role of XRCC1 Arg399Gln, Arg194Trp and Arg280His genotypes in esophageal cancer risk, all available studies were considered in the present meta-analysis. Methods Eligible studies were identified by searching several electronic databases for relevant reports published before June 2012. Results According to the inclusion criteria and exclusion criteria, a total of 21 eligible studies were included in the pooled analyses. Among the 21 studies, 18 focused on Arg399Gln polymorphism, 11 described the Arg194Trp, and 4 articles investigated on Arg280His. Our analysis suggested that there was no evidence of significant association between XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphism and esophageal cancer risk in any genetic model. In the stratified analysis by ethnicity for Arg399Gln polymorphism and esophageal cancer, the results showed that Arg399Gln polymorphism was not associated with esophageal cancer risk. Only 4 studies analyzed the relationship between XRCC1 Arg280His polymorphism and the risk of esophageal cancer. The Arg/His and His/His genotypes were not significantly associated with increased risk of EC. A similar negative association was maintained in dominant and recessive models. However, for XRCC1 Arg194Trp polymorphism, our study showed individuals carrying the variant genotype Trp/Trp had a significant increased risk of esophageal cancer (OR = 1.295, 95 % CI 1.053–1.591, P = 0.014). In addition, increased associations were found in recessive model (OR = 1.332, 95 % CI 1.093–1.624, P = 0.005). Conclusions Our meta-analysis suggested that Arg194Trp Trp allele might act as a risk allele in its association with esophageal cancer.