Quantitative assessment of the association between +61A>G polymorphism of epidermal growth factor gene and susceptibility to glioma

Numerous studies have investigated the risk of cancer associated with the polymorphism of epidermal growth factor (EGF) 61A>G, but results have been inconsistent. We performed this meta-analysis to drive a more precise estimation of the association between this polymorphism and risk of glioma. A comprehensive search was conducted to identify all case–control studies on the EGF +61A>G polymorphism and glioma risk. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95 % confidence intervals (95 % CIs) were calculated to assess the strength of the association. Statistical analysis was performed with the software program Stata (version 12.0). A total of ten eligible studies, including 1,888 cases and 2,836 controls were included in this work. Overall, there was a significant association between EGF +61A>G polymorphism and glioma risk in the allele model (OR = 1.419, 95 % CI = 1.144–1.759, P = 0.001). In the subgroup analysis by ethnicity, significant associations were also found in Asian populations under all different genetic models (homozygote model: OR = 1.727, 95 % CI = 1.310–2.275, P = 0.000; heterozygote model: OR = 1.202, 95 % CI = 1.023–1.413, P = 0.025; dominant model: OR = 1.279, 95 % CI = 1.096–1.491, P = 0.002; recessive model: OR = 1.590, 95 % CI = 1.221–2.070, P = 0.001; and A-allele versus G-allele OR = 1.600, 95 % CI = 1.145–2.236, P = 0.006). However, no significant associations were found among Caucasians in all comparison models. In conclusion, the results suggest that there is a significant association between EGF +61A>G polymorphism and glioma risk among Asians.