Racial disparities in the association between variants on 8q24 and prostate cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Recent studies implicate single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the 8q24 region as a risk factor for prostate cancer (PCa). New developments suggest that 8q24 encodes regulators of the nearby MYC gene, a known oncogene. In order to better understand the implications of SNPs in this region, we performed meta-analyses, stratified by race, of seven SNPs and one microsatellite marker previously identified as risk loci on the 8q24 region of the genome. In addition, we reviewed the literature examining the possible associations between these polymorphisms and clinicopathological features of PCa. The results of the meta-analyses indicate that rs6983267, rs1447295, rs6983561, rs7837688, rs16901979, and DG8S737 are significantly associated with a higher risk for PCa for at least one race, whereas the variants rs13254738 and rs7000448 are not. The degree of association and frequency of the causative allele varied among men of different races. Though several studies have demonstrated an association between certain 8q24 SNPs and clinicopathological features of the disease, review of this topic revealed conflicting results.

Figure 1.

Forest plots of odds ratios (95% confidence interval [CI]) of individual studies and a meta-analysis for the variant allele at rs6983267 (A), rs1447295 (B), rs13254738 (C), rs6983561 (D), rs78737688 (E), rs7000448 (F), rs16901979 (G), and DG8S737 (H). Abbreviations: A, Asian; AA, African American; ACS-CPSII, American Cancer Society Cancer Prevention Study II; ATBC, Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study; AW, American white; CAPS1, Cancer of Prostate in Sweden 1; EPIC, European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition Cohort; EW, European white; FHCRC, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center King County; FPCC, French Prostate Case-Control Study; H, Hispanic; HPFS, Health Professionals Follow-up Study; ICR, Icelandic Cancer Registry; MEC, Multiethnic Cohort; NL, Netherlands; PHS, Physicians' Health Study; PLCO, Prostate, Lung, Colon, Ovarian Trial.

Figure 1.

Forest plots of odds ratios (95% confidence interval [CI]) of individual studies and a meta-analysis for the variant allele at rs6983267 (A), rs1447295 (B), rs13254738 (C), rs6983561 (D), rs78737688 (E), rs7000448 (F), rs16901979 (G), and DG8S737 (H). Abbreviations: A, Asian; AA, African American; ACS-CPSII, American Cancer Society Cancer Prevention Study II; ATBC, Alpha-Tocopherol, Beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention Study; AW, American white; CAPS1, Cancer of Prostate in Sweden 1; EPIC, European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition Cohort; EW, European white; FHCRC, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center King County; FPCC, French Prostate Case-Control Study; H, Hispanic; HPFS, Health Professionals Follow-up Study; ICR, Icelandic Cancer Registry; MEC, Multiethnic Cohort; NL, Netherlands; PHS, Physicians' Health Study; PLCO, Prostate, Lung, Colon, Ovarian Trial.