XRCC1 Arg399Gln Polymorphism Confers Risk of Breast Cancer in American Population: A Meta-Analysis of 10846 Cases and 11723 Controls

BACKGROUND: In the X-ray repair cross-complementing group 1 (XRCC1) gene, a polymorphism, Arg399Gln (rs25487), has been shown to change neoconservative amino acid and thus result in alternation of DNA repair capacity. Numerous studies have investigated the association between Arg399Gln and breast cancer risk in the American population, but yielding inconsistent results. This study aimed to clarify the role of this polymorphism in susceptibility to breast cancer. METHODS: Literatures were searched in multiple databases including PubMed, Springer Link, Ovid, EBSCO and ScienceDirect databases up to April 2013. A comprehensive meta-analysis was conducted to estimate the overall odds ratio (OR), by integrating data from 18 case control studies of 10846 cases and 11723 controls in the American population. RESULTS: Overall, significant association was observed between the Arg399Gln polymorphism and breast cancer risk under the random-effects model (OR for dominant model = 1.12, 95% CI: 1.02–1.24, P (heterogeneity) = 0.003; OR for additive model = 1.07, 95% CI: 1.01–1.14, P (heterogeneity) = 0.017). Further sensitivity analysis supported the robust stability of this current result by showing similar ORs before and after removal of a single study. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis suggests that the XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphism may significantly contribute to susceptibility of breast cancer in the American population.