Previous studies have investigated the association between
osteopontin (OPN) gene polymorphisms, rs17524488 (-156 GG/G), rs11730582 (-443 T/C), and rs9138 (C/A) and
cancer risk in the Chinese population. However, the results are controversial and indefinite. We therefore carried out a meta-analysis to derive a more precise estimation of these associations. The PubMed database was systematically searched to identify potentially eligible reports. Crude odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used to assess the strength of associations between 3 OPN gene polymorphisms and
cancer risk in a Chinese population. A total of 10 articles involving 2,391 cases and 3,007 controls were evaluated. The pooled OR indicated that OPN rs17524488 (-156 GG/G) polymorphism was significantly associated with
cancer risk in Chinese population. In a stratified analysis by source of control, significant associations were also observed among rs17524488 (-156 GG/G) and rs11730582 (-443 T/C) polymorphisms and
cancer. In addition, a stronger association was observed between rs9138 (C/A) polymorphism and
cancer risk. In conclusion, this meta-analysis suggests that OPN rs17524488 (-156 GG/G), rs11730582 (-443 T/C), and rs9138 (C/A) polymorphisms may be associated with
cancer susceptibility in the Chinese population. Nevertheless, further investigation on a larger population covering different ethnicities are warranted.