Increased Risk of Cutaneous Melanoma Associated with p53 Arg72Pro Polymorphism

Objective The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that p53 Arg72Pro polymorphism may contribute to an increased risk of cutaneous melanoma (CM). Methods By searching the databases of PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science, a total of 8 eligible case-control studies with 1,957 CM cases and 2,887 controls were included in this meta-analysis. Stata software was used to analyze all the statistical data. Results The pooled data by a fixed-effects model suggested an increased risk of CM associated with p53 Arg72Pro polymorphism under the genetic model of Arg/Pro vs. Pro/Pro without heterogeneity (ORArg/Pro vs. Pro/Pro = 1.76, 95% CI = 1.55-1.99, P heterogeneity = 0.075). A similar trend was seen in subgroups of hospital-based studies and population-based studies. Conclusion Our meta-analysis based on all studies shows that the p53 Arg72Pro polymorphism may increase individual susceptibility to CM, particularly in Caucasians and could serve as a biomarker to predict the population at high risk of CM.