BACKGROUND: Apurinic/apyrimidinic endonuclease-1 (APE1) is a rate-limiting enzyme in DNA base excision repair and has been implicated in carcinogenesis. In this study, we summarize available data to examine the susceptibility of APE1 gene Asp148Glu variant to digestive cancer via a meta-analysis.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: Study selection and data abstraction were conducted independently by 2 authors. Random-effects model was utilized to pool effect estimates. Heterogeneity and publication bias were addressed.

RESULTS: Sixteen articles involving 4916 digestive cancer patients and 7748 controls were qualified for this meta-analysis. Overall association showed an indicative association between Asp148Glu variant and digestive cancer under allelic (odds ratio or OR=1.11; 95% confidence interval or CI: 0.99–1.25; P=0.074) and dominant (OR=1.18; 95% CI: 1.00–1.40; P=0.056) models, with strong evidence of heterogeneity. Deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium was an obvious source of heterogeneity. In subgroup analyses by cancer sites, this variant was significantly associated with the increased risk for hepatocellular cancer under allelic (OR=1.50; 95% CI: 1.25–1.80; P<0.001) and homozygous genotypic (OR=1.55; 95% CI: 1.02–2.29; P=0.028) models. There were low probabilities of publication bias for the above comparisons.

CONCLUSIONS: The results of this meta-analysis collectively suggest that APE1 gene Asp148Glu variant is not a risk-conferring factor for digestive cancer. Further large and well-designed studies are required.

Keywords: DNA-(Apurinic or Apyrimidinic Site) Lyase - genetics, Aspartic Acid - genetics, Digestive System Neoplasms - genetics, Genetic Heterogeneity, Glutamic Acid - genetics