Association between MSH6 G39E polymorphism and cancer susceptibility: a meta-analysis of 7,046 cases and 34,554 controls

Although the MSH6 G39E polymorphism is considered to be a biomarker of hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC), many studies have also found that it may be associated with increased risks of lung, breast, and pancreatic cancers, with inconsistent estimated risks. Here, we performed a comprehensive meta-analysis to assess the associations. We searched published literature from MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CNKI for eligible publications up to Dec. 5, 2013. The final meta-analysis included 10 published studies of 7,046 cases and 34,554 controls for MSH6 G39E. Overall, no significant association was detected between MSH6 G39E and cancer risk (GE + EE vs. GG: OR = 0.92, 95 % CI = 0.81–1.04). Further stratifications, however, showed the MSH6 G39E variant is associated with a decreased risk for cancer in population-based studies (GE + EE vs. GG: OR = 0.80, 95 % CI = 0.60–0.91), and in studies having utilizing large sample sizes (GE + EE vs. GG: OR = 0.87, 95 % CI = 0.85–0.99). No potential publication bias was found among studies. The present meta-analysis identified some statistical evidence for an association between the MSH6 G39E polymorphism and risk of cancer. However, this finding warrants additional validation in large and well-designed prospective studies in the future.