Several studies have evaluated the relationship between xeroderma pigmentosum complementation group C (XPC) variants and prostate cancer (PCa) risk. However, the results remain inconclusive. The objective of this study was to identify the role of XPC Lys939Gln variant on PCa occurrence. Relevant case-control studies published between 2000 and 2014 were retrieved in electronic databases. The pooled odds ratio (ORs) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were employed to calculate the strength of association. Finally, a total of eight articles including 3039 PCa patients and 3203 healthy controls were screened out. Our results found that the frequency of C allele was a little higher in PCa cases than that in control, but it was not associated with the increased risk of PCa (C vs. A: OR=1.05, 95% CI=0.98-1.13, P=0.19). This insignificant association was also observed in other genetic models (P>0.05). In subgroup analysis by ethnicity, no significant relationship was found in any study-population (Asian, Caucasian and African) as well. In conclusions, our results indicated that XPC Lys939Gln polymorphism was not associated with PCa susceptibility. Further large well-designed epidemiologic studies with gene-gene and gene-environment interaction should be included and considered.
Keywords: Prostate cancer; XPC; meta-analysis; polymorphism.