COX-2 gene rs689466 polymorphism is associated with increased risk of colorectal cancer among Caucasians: A meta-Analysis

Abstract

Background: Several studies have reported the Cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) rs689466 polymorphism as a susceptibility locus of colorectal cancer (CRC), but their findings are inconsistent. Thus, this meta-Analysis was performed to more accurately identify the effects of this polymorphism on CRC risk. Methods: Potential case-control studies on EMBASE, Google Scholar, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and PubMed were searched. The strength of association was quantified by pooled odds ratio and 95% confidence interval. Totally 16 articles involving 8998 cases and 11,917 controls were included. Results: None of the five tested genetic models revealed an association between rs689466 polymorphism and CRC risk. Stratified analysis by ethnicity uncovered a positive association between this polymorphism and higher CRC risk in Caucasians, but not in Asians. In addition, we found that high expression of COX-2 was associated with better overall survival for all CRC patients. Conclusion: To sum up, the COX-2 rs689466 polymorphism may be related with susceptibility to CRC in Caucasians. This finding should be verified by larger-size studies with different ethnic groups.