The association between matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2) gene polymorphisms and cancer risk has been investigated in many published studies; however, the currently available results are inconclusive. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to provide conclusive evidence for an association between the MMP2 polymorphism (-735 C/T) and cancer risk. Sixteen case-control studies with 11792 individuals were included in this meta-analysis. The odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were used to investigate the strength of the association. Overall, the MMP2 polymorphism (-735 C/T) was not associated with cancer risk in any of the models. However, the subgroup analysis revealed that dominant model (C/T+T/T vs. C/C: OR=1.24, 95% CI=1.01-1.53) and codominant 1 model (C/T vs. C/C: OR=1.30, 95% CI=1.05-1.62) were significantly associated with cancer risk in the Caucasian population. In conclusion, our meta-analysis indicated that the MMP2 polymorphism (-735 C/T) might be genetic risk factor for the carcinogenesis in Caucasians. However, more studies with a larger sample size are needed to provide more precise evidence.
Keywords: Matrix metalloproteinase 2; cancer; meta-analysis; polymorphism.