Arg72Pro Polymorphism of TP53 Gene and the Risk of Skin Cancer: a Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND: TP53 gene is one of the most important tumor suppressor genes. We undertook this meta-analysis to explore the association between TP53 Arg72Pro polymorphism and the risk of skin cancer mainly in Caucasians. METHODS: We searched PubMed for case-control studies published up to March 2013. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to assess the strength of association. RESULTS: A total of 5276 skin cancer cases and 5315 controls from 20 studies were included. Overall, no significant association between TP53 Arg72Pro polymorphism and skin cancer was observed in all genetic contrast models (Pro/Pro versus Arg/Arg, Pro/Arg versus Arg/Arg, Pro/Pro + Pro/Arg versus Arg/Arg, Pro/Pro versus Arg/Arg + Pro/Arg, Pro allele versus Arg allele). Similar results were obtained in the stratified analysis by ethnicity and histological types of skin cancer, such as melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma. Power calculations indicated that some studies were underpowered. No publication bias was found by using the funnel plot and Egger's test. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis indicated that TP53 Arg72Pro polymorphism probably had little association with skin cancer susceptibility mainly in Caucasians. However, larger sample-size studies are required to verify the conclusion as low statistical powers.