Background: Many studies have investigated possible association between the methylenetetrahydrofolatereductase (MTHFR) C677T polymorphism and ovarian cancer risk, but the impact is still unclear owing tothe obvious inconsistencies. This study was performed to quantify the strength of the association with a metaanalysis. Methods: We searched the PubMed, Embase, and CNKI databases for studies relating the associationbetween MTHFR C677T polymorphism and ovarian cancer risk and estimated summary odds ratios (ORs) withconfidence intervals (CIs) for assessment. Results: Finally, eight studies with a total of 3,379 ovarian cancer casesand 4,078 controls were included into this meta-analysis. Overall the showed that MTHFR C677T polymorphismwas not associated with ovarian cancer risk under all genetic models (ORT versus C = 1.03, 95%CI 0.90-1.18; ORTTversus CC = 1.08, 95%CI 0.79-1.47; ORTT versus TC+CC = 1.05, 95%CI 0.80-1.37; ORTT +TC versus CC = 1.05, 95%CI 0.86-1.21).Meta-analyses of studies with confirmation of HWE also showed no significant association. Subgroup analyses byethnicity showed there was no significant association in the Caucasians but MTHFR C677T polymorphic variantT contributed to increased risk of ovarian cancer in East Asians. No evidence of publication bias was observed. Conclusion: Meta-analyses of available data show that MTHFR C677T polymorphism is not associated withovarian cancer risk in Caucasians, but the MTHFR polymorphic variant T may contribute to increased risk inEast Asians.
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