It was reported that the functional polymorphism Ser326Cys in the human
8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase gene was associated with
breast cancer risk; however, the published studies have inconsistent conclusions. To elucidate the effect of hOGG1 Ser326Cys on the susceptibility to
breast cancer, all available studies were collected in this meta-analysis. We extracted the data from 10 case-control studies that were published in the PubMed database from 2003 to 2008 using the search phrases "human
8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase, hOGG1, OGG1, OGG, polymorphism, genetic variation, and
breast cancer." This meta-analysis included 4,963
breast cancer cases and 4,776 control subjects. The results showed that individuals who carrying the hOGG1 326Cys allele in the additive model did not have significantly increased risk of
breast cancer compared with those carrying the 326Ser allele (P = 0.47, OR = 1.02; 95% CI = 0.96-1.09); similarly, no significant association between the hOGG1 326Cys allele and
breast cancer risk was found either in the recessive genetic model (P = 0.34, OR = 1.06; 95% CI = 0.94-1.18) for
Cys/Cys versus Ser/Cys + Ser/Ser, or dominant genetic model (P = 0.78, OR = 1.01; 95% CI = 0.93-1.11) for
Cys/Cys + Ser/Cys versus Ser/Ser. In the stratified analysis, the meta-analysis showed the association between hOGG1 326Cys allele in the additive model and
breast cancer was significant in European subjects (P = 0.04, OR = 0.71; 95% CI = 0.51-0.98), and dominant genetic model (P = 0.004, OR = 0.44; 95% CI = 0.25-0.77). However, the association was not significant between this polymorphism and different menopausal status (premenopausal and postmenopausal) and the other ethnicities (Asians and Americans). The meta-analysis suggested that the hOGG1 326Cys allele plays a significant protective effect to
breast cancer in European women.