Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Mar 22;8(31):50987-50996.
doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.16446. eCollection 2017 Aug 1.

Is FTO gene variant related to cancer risk independently of adiposity? An updated meta-analysis of 129,467 cases and 290,633 controls

Yu Kang  1 , Fang Liu  2 , Yao Liu  2
Affiliations

Is FTO gene variant related to cancer risk independently of adiposity? An updated meta-analysis of 129,467 cases and 290,633 controls

Yu Kang et al. Oncotarget. .

Abstract

Previous studies have examined the association between the fat mass and obesity-associated (FTO) gene variant and risk of cancer in diverse populations. However, the results have been inconsistent. PubMed and Embase databases were searched for the eligible publications in English language by July, 2016. The associations of FTO variants with cancer risk were estimated by calculating the pooled odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals by meta-analyses. A total of 27 publications (129,467 cancer cases and 290,633 normal controls) were included in our meta-analysis. Overall, FTO rs9939609 variant (or its proxy) was not associated with cancer risk without adjustment for body mass index, as well as additional adjustment for body mss index. However, FTO rs9939609 variant was associated with some types of cancer in the subgroup analysis. In addition, overall, there was no significant association between FTO rs1477196 variant and cancer risk regardless of adjustment for body mass index. However, FTO rs11075995 variant risk allele was associated with breast cancer risk without adjustment for body mass index, but the association disappeared with further adjustment for body mass index. This study overall does not support that the FTO variant is associated with cancer risk independently of the adiposity.

Keywords: FTO; cancer; meta-analysis; obesity.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Flowchart for inclusion/exclusion of studies
Figure 2
Figure 2. Forest plot of the effect of FTO rs9939609 on risk of cancer by race/ethnicity without adjustment for body mass index
Figure 3
Figure 3. Forest plot of the effect of FTO rs9939609 on risk of cancer by race/ethnicity with adjustment for body mass index
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Frayling TM, Timpson NJ, Weedon MN, Zeggini E, Freathy RM, Lindgren CM, Perry JR, Elliott KS, Lango H, Rayner NW, Shields B, Harries LW, Barrett JC, et al. A common variant in the FTO gene is associated with body mass index and predisposes to childhood and adult obesity. Science. 2007;316:889–94. doi: 10.1126/science.1141634. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Dina C, Meyre D, Gallina S, Durand E, Korner A, Jacobson P, Carlsson LM, Kiess W, Vatin V, Lecoeur C, Delplanque J, Vaillant E, Pattou F, et al. Variation in FTO contributes to childhood obesity and severe adult obesity. Nat Genet. 2007;39:724–6. doi: 10.1038/ng2048. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Xi B, Mi J. FTO polymorphisms are associated with obesity but not with diabetes in East Asian populations: a meta-analysis. Biomed Environ Sci. 2009;22:449–57. doi: 10.1016/S0895-3988(10)60001-3. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Xi B, Wang C, Wang R, Huang Y. FTO gene polymorphisms are associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes in East Asian populations: an update. Obesity (Silver Spring) 2011;19:236–7. doi: 10.1038/oby.2010.139. author reply 8. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Liu C, Mou S, Cai Y. FTO gene variant and risk of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One. 2013;8:e82133. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0082133. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources