Vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A), a major driver of physiological and pathological angiogenesis, plays important roles in the etiology and metastasis of cancers. The +936C>T polymorphism in the 3'-untranslated region of the VEGFA gene has been implicated in cancer risk and is related to VEGF-A protein production; however, published data have been conflicting. To derive a more precise estimation of the relationship, a meta-analysis was performed of 13,293 cancer cases and 12,308 control subjects from 29 published case-control studies. Odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated to assess the association between +936C>T polymorphism and cancer risk. The meta-analysis indicated that individuals with the +936 T had increased risk of oral cancer (OR = 1.39, 95% CI = 1.03-1.88), although no association was found in the contrast of T versus C (OR = 1.00, 95% CI = 0.91-1.10) in the pooled analyses. This meta-analysis supports the idea that VEGFA + 936 T is associated with increased risk of oral cancer. To draw comprehensive and true conclusions, further prospective studies with larger numbers of participants worldwide are needed to examine associations between VEGFA + 936C>T polymorphism and cancer risk.
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