Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase C677T polymorphism and colorectal cancer susceptibility: a meta-analysis

The association between methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T polymorphism and colorectal cancer (CRC) susceptibility has been researched in numerous studies. However, the results of these studies were controversial. Therefore, the objective of this meta-analysis was to offer a more convincible conclusion about such association with more included studies. Eligible studies published till May 1, 2017 were searched from PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and CNKI database about such association. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) together with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to evaluate such association. And the Begg’s funnel plot and Egger’s test were applied to assess the publication bias. This meta-analysis contained 37049 cases and 52444 controls from 87 publications with 91 eligible case–control studies. Because of lack of data for a particular genotype in several studies, all the included studies were analysed barely in the dominant model. Originally, there was no association between MTHFR C677T polymorphism and CRC susceptibility (OR =0.99, 95% CI =0.94–1.05). After excluding 13 studies according to their heterogeneity and publication bias, rs1801133 polymorphism was found to reduce the risks of CRC significantly (OR =0.96, 95% CI =0.94–0.99). In the subgroup analysis of ethnicity, there was a significant association in Asians (OR =0.94, 95% CI =0.89–1.00). Furthermore, when stratified by the source of controls and genotyping methods, the positive results were observed in population-based control group (OR =0.97, 95% CI =0.93–1.00) and PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method (OR =0.95, 95% CI =0.91–0.99. The results of the meta-analysis suggested that MTHFR C677T polymorphism was associated with CRC susceptibility, especially in Asian population.