VEGF +405G/C (rs2010963) polymorphisms and digestive system cancer risk: a meta-analysis

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) polymorphisms, specifically +405G/C (rs2010963), reportedly influence the risk for various digestive cancers. However, the consequences of these polymorphisms remain controversial and ambiguous. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis of 11 studies with VEGF +405G/C genotyping on 2,862 patients and 3,028 controls using the random effects model. We obtained a pooled odds ratio (OR) of 1.04 (95 % confidence interval (CI) = 0.86–1.26) for the recessive genetic model, 1.07 (95 % CI = 0.81–1.42) for the dominant genetic model, 1.09 (95 % CI = 0.81–1.47) for the homozygote comparison, and 1.03 (95 % CI = 0.83–1.27) for the heterozygote comparison. In the subgroup analysis of the recessive model, the OR was 1.20 (95 % CI = 1.02–1.40) in colorectal cancer. These results show that VEGF +405G/C polymorphisms are unlikely to be a major determinant of susceptibility to digestive cancer. Furthermore, the subgroup analysis of recessive model indicates that VEGF +405G/C polymorphisms increase the risk for colorectal cancer.