Background: Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) is a key enzyme in the metabolism of folate,and the role of the MTHFR C677T polymorphism in pancreatic carcinogenesis is still controversial. Method: Aliterature search was performed using Pubmed and CNKI databases for published studies through May 2012.We performed a meta-analysis of all relevant case-control studies that examined the association between MTHFRC677T polymorphism and pancreatic cancer risk. Results: Finally, 9 individual case-control studies with a totalof 1,299 pancreatic cancer cases and 2,473 controls were included into this meta-analysis. Results: This metaanalysisshowed there was an obvious association between MTHFR C677T polymorphism and pancreatic cancerrisk in East Asians (for allele model, OR = 1.67, 95%CI 1.11-2.51; For homozygote model, OR = 2.77, 95%CI1.40-5.48; for recessive model, OR = 1.96, 95%CI 1.54-2.50; for dominant model, OR = 2.11, 95%CI 1.01-4.41).However, no significant association was found in Caucasians. Conclusion: The MTHFR C677T polymorphismis associated with pancreatic cancer risk, and a race-specific effect may exist in this association. More studieswith a larger sample size are needed to further clarify this association.
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