MTHFRC677T and A1298C Polymorphisms Were Associated with Bladder Cancer Risk and Disease Progression: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Epidemiological studies have investigated that functional polymorphisms in the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene may play an essential role in bladder carcinogenesis, but the association between these single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the MTHFR gene and the susceptibility of bladder cancer (BC) was inconsistent in previous studies. The objective of this current study was to conduct an update analysis investigating the association between three polymorphisms in the MTHFR gene and the risk of BC. We performed a meta-analysis of 13 publications involving an association between BC and MTHFR gene three polymorphisms (C677T, A1298C, and G1793A). We assessed the strength of the association, using odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). On one hand, we found that the C677T polymorphism was associated with increased BC risk among Asians, however, with decreased BC risk among a mixed population. Interestingly, BC patients who carried the T-allele (TT+TC) had a higher percentage than the individuals who carried the CC genotype (OR=1.38, 95% CI=1.13-1.69, p=0.002). On the other hand, the A1298C polymorphism may increase BC risk among Asians and Africans, but played a decreased association among Europeans. Results from the current update analysis suggested that the C677T and A1298C polymorphisms in the MTHFR gene were associated with BC risk and disease progression.