Effect of ALDH2 polymorphism on cancer risk in Asians: A meta-analysis

Numerous studies have investigated the association between ALDH2 gene rs671G>A polymorphism and various cancer type in Asians. However, the results remain inconclusive. We conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis including 63 articles with 66 studies containing 25,682 cases and 47,455 controls retrieved by searching PubMed and Embase electronic databases up to March 5, 2018. Pooled results indicated that ALDH2 gene rs671 polymorphism was significantly associated with the overall cancer risk in Asians (homozygous model: odds ratio [OR] = 0.85, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.72–0.99, P = .042; heterozygous model: OR = 1.32, 95% CI = 1.14–1.52, P < .001; recessive model: OR = 0.73, 95% CI = 0.60–0.88, P = .001; dominant model: OR = 1.32, 95% CI = 1.16–1.51, P < .001; and allele comparison model: OR = 1.11, 95% CI = 1.03–1.19, P = .004), especially in esophageal cancer and among the Chinese and the Japanese. Our results suggest that ALDH2 rs671 polymorphism is associated with the overall cancer risk in Asians. Well-designed prospective studies with more information about gene–environment interaction, such as drinking, should be conducted to validate our findings.