Background: It has been suggested that the serine/threonine kinase 15 (STK15) T91A rs2273535 polymorphism is associated with susceptibility to cancer. However, the results are conflicting. We performed this meta-analysis to derive a more precise estimation of the relationship.
Methods: PubMed was searched to select studies. Case-control studies containing available genotype frequencies of the STK15 rs2273535 polymorphism were chosen, and the odds ratio (OR) with its 95% confidence interval (CI) was utilized to assess the strength of association.
Results: 52 studies - including 34,057 cases and 40,839 controls - were identified. A significant effect of the STK15 rs2273535 polymorphism on cancer risk was found (AA vs. TT: OR=1.13, 95%CI=1.01-1.26, Pheterogeneity<0.001; AA vs.
Ta/tt: OR=1.12, 95%CI=1.02-1.22, Pheterogeneity<0.001; TA/AA vs. TT: OR=1.06, 95%CI=1.01-1.12, Pheterogeneity<0.001). Stratified analysis by cancer type revealed that the STK rs2273535 polymorphism may contribute to the risk of breast cancer (AA vs. TT: OR=1.21, 95%CI=1.01-1.44, Pheterogeneity=0.002), colorectal cancer (AA vs.
Ta/tt: OR=1.24, 95%CI=1.05-1.47, Pheterogeneity=0.124), and esophageal cancer (AA vs.
Ta/tt: OR=1.19, 95%CI=1.02-1.39, Pheterogeneity=0.148). Further subgroup analysis by ethnicity indicated that there was a statistically increased cancer risk in Asians (AA vs.
Ta/tt: OR=1.20, 95%CI=1.05-1.37, Pheterogeneity=0.004).
Conclusion: This meta-analysis suggests that the STK15 rs2273535 polymorphism is a candidate gene polymorphism for cancer susceptibility, especially in Asian populations.
Keywords: Cancer; Meta-analysis; Polymorphism; STK15.
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