BACKGROUND: Many studies have reported that the p53 codon 72 polymorphism is associated with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) susceptibility; however, the conclusions are inconsistent. Therefore, we performed this meta-analysis to obtain a more precise result.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: We searched PubMed to identify relevant studies, and 6 published case-control studies were retrieved, including 924 AML patients and 3832 controls. Odds ratio (OR) with corresponding 95% confidence interval (95%CI) was applied to assess the association between p53 codon 72 polymorphism and AML susceptibility. The meta-analysis was performed with Comprehensive Meta-Analysis software, version 2.2.

RESULTS: Overall, no significant association between p53 codon 72 polymorphism and AML susceptibility was found in this meta-analysis (Pro vs. Arg: OR=0.94, 95%CI=0.81–1.10; Pro/Pro vs. Arg/Arg: OR=0.93, 95%CI=0.71–1.22; Arg/Pro vs. Arg/Arg: OR=0.79, 95%CI=0.55–1.13; (Pro/Pro + Arg/Pro) vs. Arg/Arg: OR=0.84, 95%CI=0.62–1.13; Pro/Pro vs. (Arg/Arg + Arg/Pro): OR=1.06, 95%CI=0.83–1.35). Similar results were also found in stratified analysis according to ethnicity and source of controls.

CONCLUSIONS: Our meta-analysis demonstrates that p53 codon 72 polymorphism may not be a risk factor for AML, which should be verified in future studies.

Keywords: Genetic Predisposition to Disease, Codon, Case-Control Studies, Genotype, Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute - genetics, Odds Ratio, Polymorphism, Genetic, Reproducibility of Results, Risk Factors, Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 - genetics