Association between p53 codon 72 polymorphism and sarcoma risk among Caucasians

Many published data on the association between p53 codon 72 polymorphism and sarcoma risk showed inconclusive results. The present study was designed to derive a more precise estimation of this connection among Caucasians. We conducted a literature search in PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and CNKI databases for case–control studies examining the association between p53 codon 72 polymorphism and sarcoma risk. The meta-analysis was performed using STATA 12.0 software. Crude odds ratios (ORs) with corresponding 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) were used to measure the strength of any association. The results of this meta-analysis did not provide statistical evidence for significant sarcoma risk associated with p53 codon 72 polymorphism (OR_{Arg/Arg vs. Pro/Pro} = 1.00, 95 % CI = 0.80–1.26, P _{heterogeneity} = 0.980; OR_{Arg/Arg + Arg/Pro vs. Pro/Pro} = 0.99, 95 % CI = 0.83–1.19, P _{heterogeneity} = 0.990; OR_{Arg/Arg vs. Arg/Pro + Pro/Pro} = 1.09, 95 % CI = 0.89–1.35, P _{heterogeneity} = 0.532; OR_{allele Arg vs. allele Pro} = 1.03, 95 % CI = 0.90–1.18, P _{heterogeneity} = 0.883; OR_{Arg/Pro vs. Pro/Pro} = 0.95, 95 % CI = 0.71–1.27, P _{heterogeneity} = 0.919). We also did not find significant links in further subgroup analyses by ethnicity, control source, and sarcoma type. The present meta-analysis of currently available data suggests that the p53 codon 72 polymorphism may not play a role in sarcoma development in Caucasians.