Abstract
The aim of the meta-analysis was to clarify the associations between vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) polymorphisms and the risk and prognosis of renal cell carcinoma (RCC). A meta-analysis was performed by searching the databases PubMed, EMBASE and Web of Science for the relevant available studies until August 1st, 2016, and fourteen studies met the inclusion criteria. The pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to evaluate the strength of such associations. Besides, the pooled hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% CIs were used to evaluate the overall survival (OS). Fixed- or random-effects models were conducted according to existence of heterogeneity. Publication bias was evaluated using Begg's funnel plots and Egger's regression test. Overall, this meta-analysis included a total of 8,275 patients, who had been accrued between November 2002 and September 2015. Meta-analysis indicated that -2578C/A, +936C/T and +405G/C polymorphisms in the VEGF gene correlated with elevated RCC risk, especially in Asian populations. Moreover, VEGF -1154G/A and -634C/G polymorphisms were found significantly associated with poor OS of RCC. Therefore, this meta-analysis revealed that VEGF -2578C/A, +936C/T, +405G/C polymorphisms were associated with an elevated susceptibility to RCC, indicating that these three polymorphisms might be risk factors for RCC, especially in Asian populations.
Highlights
Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common malignancy of the kidney, accounting for approximately 80%-85% of all renal tumors [1]
Meta-analysis indicated that -2578C/A, +936C/T and +405G/C polymorphisms in the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) gene correlated with elevated renal cell carcinoma (RCC) risk, especially in Asian populations
This meta-analysis revealed that VEGF -2578C/A, +936C/T, +405G/C polymorphisms were associated with an elevated susceptibility to RCC, indicating that these three polymorphisms might be risk factors for RCC, especially in Asian populations
Summary
Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common malignancy of the kidney, accounting for approximately 80%-85% of all renal tumors [1]. Even if many people are exposed to these risk factors, only a few of them develop RCC This suggests that genetic factors may have a critical influence on the aetiology of RCC. Angiogenesis is the formation of new blood vessels from endothelial precursors and it is one of the fundamental processes in carcinogenesis [6, 7]. It is www.impactjournals.com/oncotarget well known that angiogenesis is correlated with tumor progression and metastasis [8]. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), known as a critical angiogenesis factor, could promote tumor development and progression both in vitro and in vivo experiments [9,10,11]. There are many single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) identified in the VEGF gene, which can alter the expression level of this gene and confer individual susceptibility to tumor [15, 16]
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