CXCL12 G801A polymorphism contributes to cancer susceptibility: a meta-analysis

CXCL12 is an important alpha-chemokine that regulates many essential biological processes including tumor development and metastasis. The CXCL12 G801A polymorphism is associated with multiple kinds of malignant cancer, but the associations are inconsistent. To derive a more precise estimation of the relationship, we conducted a meta-analysis of 16 publications with 2,888 cases and 3,611 controls. We used the odds ratio (OR) corresponding to 95% confidence interval (CI) to estimate the strength of association. The increased risk of overall cancer was found in the homozygote comparison (AA vs. GG, OR=1.43, 95℅CI=1.07-1.91), the recessive model (AA vs. GG+GA, OR=1.26, 95℅CI=1.03-1.54), and the dominant model (GA+AA vs. GG, OR=1.35, 95℅CI=1.15-1.58). In the stratified analyses, the associations were significant in breast cancer, Asians and hospital-based controls. In conclusion, this meta-analysis suggests that the CXCL12 G801A polymorphism may be a risk factor of cancer, especially in the subgroups of breast cancer, Asians and hospital-based controls.