Association between APE1 Asp148Glu polymorphism and the risk of urinary cancers: a meta-analysis of 18 case-control studies.

BACKGROUND: Several observational studies suggested that APE1 Asp148Glu was significantly associated with urinary cancers; however, the results of published studies are inconsistent. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The PubMed and EMBASE were searched for case-control studies regarding the association between Asp148Glu and the risk of urinary cancers with a time limit of September 12, 2015. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to assess the strength of the association between Asp148Glu and the risk of developing prostate cancer, kidney cancer, bladder cancer, as well as all urinary cancers combined. RESULTS: A total of 18 case-control studies were included in the analysis. Our meta-analysis revealed that the inheritance of at least one APE1 148Glu among Asian men was associated with a 1.26-fold increase in the risk of developing urinary cancers. Meanwhile, APE1 Asp148Glu was significantly associated with the risk of prostate cancer. However, there were no significant relationships between the APE1 SNP (single nucleotide polymorphism) and all urinary cancers combined and bladder cancer and kidney cancer among the men of Caucasian/Asian/African descent or all racial/ethnic groups combined. When stratified by the quality score, no significant association was found in high-quality studies (score ≥7), but a significant increased risk of urinary cancers was observed in lower quality studies (score <7) (dominant model: OR=1.27, 95% CI=1.11-1.45). CONCLUSION: Our meta-analysis suggests that APE1 Asp148Glu was not associated with the risk of urinary cancers but might increase the risk of urinary cancers among Asians. Stratification by cancer type identified a significant association of Asp148Glu with prostate cancer.