XRCC1 Arg399Gln gene polymorphism and hepatocellular carcinoma risk in the Chinese Han population: a meta-analysis.

PURPOSE Numerous studies have evaluated the association between XRCC1 Arg399Gln gene polymorphism and hepatocellular carcinoma risk in the Chinese Han population. However, the results have been inconsistent. We therefore here examined whether the XRCC1 Arg399Gln gene polymorphism confers hepatocellular carcinoma risk by conducting a meta-analysis. METHODS PubMed, Google scholar and China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases were searched for eligible articles in English and Chinese that were published before April 2012. RESULTS 6 studies involving 1,246 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma and 1,953 controls were included. The association between XRCC1 Arg399Gln gene polymorphism and hepatocellular carcinoma in the Chinese Han population was significant under GG vs AA (OR = 1.48, 95% CI = 1.13 to 1.94). Limiting the analysis to the studies with controls in the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, the results were persistent and robust. CONCLUSIONS In the Chinese Han population, the XRCC1 Arg399Gln gene polymorphism is associated with an increased hepatocellular carcinoma risk.