X-ray repair cross-complementing group 3 (XRCC3) is responsible for maintaining the integrity of the genome, playing a critical role in protecting it against mutations which lead to cancer. Polymorphisms at exons 7 of the XRCC3 gene may alter the XRCC3 repair efficiency. The aim of this study is to derive a precise estimation of the relationship between XRCC3 Thr241Met polymorphism and gastric cancer (GC) risk.

Two investigators independently searched the databases of Pubmed, EMBASE and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) up to May 15, 2013. Odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for XRCC3 Thr241Met polymorphism and GC were calculated in a fixed- or random- effects model depending on statistical heterogeneity.

This meta-analysis included 9 case-control studies, which included 2209 cases and 3269 controls. Overall, the combined results based on all studies indicated that there was no association between XRCC3 Thr241Met polymorphism and GC susceptibility for all genetic models. When stratifying for race, we found the 241Met/Met genotype carriers might be at high risk of GC among Asians, but not among Caucasians. When stratifying by the location of gastric cancer, the combined results showed that Met/Met genotype carriers might have an increased risk of GC in non-cardiac gastric cancer, but not in cardiac cancer.

This meta-analysis confirmed that the XRCC3 Thr241Met gene polymorphism might be a risk factor for GC among Asians, and that differences in genotype distribution may be related to the location of gastric cancer. More well-designed studies based on larger population are needed to confirm our results.