Association of ERCC1 rs3212986 and ERCC2 rs13181 polymorphisms with the risk of glioma

Objective: Several previous studies have reported the role variant of ERCC1 rs3212986 and ERCC2 rs13181 polymorphisms in the risk of glioma, but the results of these studies are inconsistent. Therefore, we aimed to conduct a meta-analysis to investigate the role of ERCC1 rs3212986 and ERCC2 rs13181 on the risk of glioma.

Methods: A comprehensive research was conducted through the databases of Pubmed, EMBASE and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) platforms until June 1, 2014, including 14 eligible case-control studies.

Results: Our meta-analysis found that ERCC1 rs3212986 AA genotype was significantly associated with increased risk of glioma compared with CC genotype, and the pooled OR (95%CI) was 1.29(1.07-1.55). By subgroup analysis, ERCC1 rs3212986 AA genotype was found to be significantly correlated with increased glioma risk in Chinese population (OR=1.37, 95%CI=1.07, 1.55), Similarly, we found that ERCC2 rs13181 GT and TT genotypes were significantly associated with increased risk of glioma in Chinese population, with ORs(95%CI) of 1.47(1.17-1.85) and 1.50(1.02-2.22). But ERCC1 rs3212986 and ERCC2 rs13181 polymorphisms had no significant association with glioma risk in Caucasian populations. By begg’s funnel plot, we found that no publication bias was existed in this meta-analysis.

Conclusion: Our meta-analysis suggested that ERCC1 rs3212986 and ERCC2 rs13181 polymorphism play an important risk factor for brain tumor development in Chinese population, but no association in Caucasian populations.