Exploration of the association between FOXE1 gene polymorphism and differentiated thyroid cancer: a meta-analysis

Several association analyses and linkage researches indicated that inherited genetic variations effectively influence differentiated thyroid carcinogenesis. The results from 15 published studies on differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) were combined. The genetic model included rs965513, rs944289 and rs1867277. Meta-analyses were performed and cochran’s χ 2 based Q-statistic and I 2 test were performed to assess heterogeneity using STATA software. Significant results were noticed for rs965513(Odds Ratio(OR) = 1.162(1.117, 1.208)), rs944289(OR = 1.082(1.035, 1.131)) and rs1867277(OR = 1.415(1.324, 1.512)). In the subgroup analysis by ethnicity, rs965513 polymorphism conferred that risk of Caucasians (OR = 1.168(1.122, 1.215)) was more than that of East Asians of 1.35 (OR = 0.897(0.680, 1.193)). This meta-analysis revealed that common variations of FOXE1 (rs965513, rs944289 and rs1867277) were risk factors associated with increased DTC susceptibility.