Abstract
Aim: The vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) plays a major role in angiogenesis. The association between VEGF 936 C > T (rs3025039) gene polymorphisms and oral cancer (OC) risk is still contentious and ambiguous. To assess the relationship between the VEGF 936 C > T genotype and the risk of developing OC, we performed a meta-analysis to summarize the possible association. Methodology: We assessed published studies of the association between 936 C > T polymorphisms and OC risk from four studies with 440 controls and 556 OC cases. We calculated pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence interval (CI), considering the frequency of allele, homozygous, heterozygous genotypes and comparison of dominant and recessive genetic models. Results: The combined results showed that the T allele was significantly associated with increased OC risk (T vs. C: p = 0.001; OR = 1.521, 95% CI = 1.194-1.938). The heterozygous genotype CT had a 1.5-fold increased risk (CT vs. CC: p = 0.002; OR = 1.582, 95% CI = 1.184-2.114). In addition the dominant genetic model demonstrated a 1.6-fold increased risk of developing OC (TT + CT vs. CC: p = 0.001; OR = 1.621, 95% CI = 1.226-2.143). Conclusion: Our results suggest that the VEGF gene polymorphism (936 C > T) contributes increased susceptibility to OC. However, larger studies with a stratified case-control population and biological characterization are needed to validate this finding.