The Arg188His polymorphism in the XRCC2 gene and the risk of cancer

The Arg188His polymorphism in the XRCC2 gene has been suggested as a risk factor for cancer with inconclusive results. The aim of the current study is to investigate the association between the polymorphism with of cancer by meta-analysis. A total of 33 case–control studies from 27 publications were included for data analyses. The results suggested that the Arg188His polymorphism was not associated with increased/decreased risk of cancer in total analysis (Arg/His+His/His vs. Arg/Arg: OR = 0.98, 95 % CI = 0.91–1.06). In the subgroup analysis by ethnicity, no statistical significant association was found in Europeans. In the subgroup analysis by cancer types, statistical significant association was found in ovarian cancer but not in other cancers. The current meta-analysis indicated that the Arg188His polymorphism in the XRCC2 gene might be a risk factor for ovarian cancer. In the future, more large-scale case–control studies are needed to validate our results.