The association between MTHFR 677C>T polymorphism and cervical cancer: evidence from a meta-analysis.
BACKGROUND
MTHFR 677C>T polymorphism is a genetic alteration in an enzyme involved in folate metabolism, but its effect on host susceptibility to cervical cancer is still uncertain. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between MTHFR 677C>T polymorphism and cervical cancer by performing a meta-analysis.


METHODS
Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science, and the Chinese Biomedical Database (CBM) databases were searched for case-control studies investigating the association between MTHFR 677C>T polymorphism and cervical cancer. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) were used to assess this possible association.


RESULTS
11 studies with a total of 1898 cervical cancer cases and 2678 controls were included. Meta-analyses of a total 11 studies showed no association between MTHFR 677C>T polymorphism and cervical cancer using all five genetic models (All P values>0.05). However, subgroup analyses showed the odds of the homozygous TT genotype were much less in cervical cancer cases than in controls in Europeans, which implied an association between the homozygous TT genotype and cervical cancer in Europeans (For TT versus CC, fixed-effects OR=0.65, 95%CI 0.45-0.93, P=0.020, I2=0.0%). The odds for the homozygous TT genotype were greater in cervical cancer cases than in controls in East Asians, which also implied an association between the homozygous TT genotype and cervical cancer in East Asians (For TT versus CC, random-effects OR=1.66, 95%CI 1.05-2.62, P=0.029, I2=52.6%; For TT versus CT/CC, random-effects OR=1.55, 95%CI 1.09-2.22, P=0.016, I2=42.4%). Both subgroup analyses and meta-regression analyses suggested ethnicity was the major source of heterogeneity. Publication bias was not evident.


CONCLUSIONS
This meta-analysis supports an association between MTHFR 677C>T polymorphism and cervical cancer, and the effect of this association may be race specific. Further studies with large sample sizes and careful design are needed to identify this association more comprehensively.
4th team of Cadet Brigade, the Third Military Medical University, and Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400038, China.
Qiang
Q
Mei
Daijun
D
Zhou
Jinyu
J
Gao
Shu
S
Shen
Jinlin
J
Wu
Linna
L
Guo
Zhiqing
Z
Liang
D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D042965:Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (NADPH2) / Q000235:genetics*; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*
D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; C573423:MTHFR protein, human; D042965:Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (NADPH2)