The association between GSTM1 polymorphism and gastric cancer risk: a meta-analysis

Relationship of gastric cancer with the GSTM1 polymorphism was reported with inconsistent results. The objective of this study was to quantitatively evaluate the association between GSTM1 polymorphism and gastric cancer susceptibility. Relevant studies were identified from PubMed and references of retrieved articles. A meta-analysis was performed, which included 38 studies with 6,605 gastric cancer cases and 11,311 controls. The combined result based on all studies showed there was a significant link between GSTM1 null genotype and gastric cancer (OR=1.20, 95%CI: 1.08-1.34). When stratifying for the race, the phenomenon was found that gastric cancer case had a significantly higher frequency of GSTM1 null genotype than control in Asians (OR=1.27, 95%CI: 1.10-1.47). However, there was not enough evidence to show there was a significant difference in GSTM1 null genotype distribution between gastric cancer case and control in Caucasians (OR=1.13, 95%CI: 0.96-1.32). This meta-analysis indicated that GSTM1 null genotype might be associated with increased gastric cancer risk in Asians. However, this meta-analysis did not provide an evidence of confirming association between GSTM1 polymorphism and gastric cancer in Caucasians.