Effect of E-Cadherin (CDH1) −160C/A polymorphism on prostate cancer risk: a meta-analysis

E-Cadherin (CDH1) genetic variations may be involved in invasion and metastasis of various cancers by altering gene transcriptional activity of epithelial cells. However, published studies on the association of CDH1 gene polymorphisms and prostate cancer (PCA)risk remain contradictory, owing to differences in living habits and genetic backgrounds. To derive a more better and comprehensive conclusion, the present meta-analysis was performed. Electronic searches of several databases were conducted for all publications on the association between the CDH1 –160 C/A polymorphism and prostate cancer before Oct 2014. The odds ratio (OR) and its 95% confidence interval (CI) were used for statistical analysis. A total of 7 eligible studies including 1294 cases and 1782 controls were involved in this meta-analysis. Overall, meta-analysis indicated that the −160A allele carriers (AA, CA, AA+CA and A allele) had an increased risk of PCA compared with the homozygotes (CC). In the subgroup analyses by ethnicity, a positive association was found in Asians with A allele, AA, CA, AA+CA genotype and Caucasian descendants with AA genotype, dominant and recessive models. On the contrary, a decreased prostate cancer risk was found in Africans with heterozygous, dominant and allele models. Taken together, this meta-analysis showed that the CDH1 −160A allele might be a risk factor for prostate cancer in Asians and Caucasians. However, this result should be verified by additional population-based studies with large sample sizes.