DNA repair gene XRCC3 Thr241Met polymorphism and susceptibility to glioma: A case-control study

The DNA repair gene, X-ray repair cross-complementing group 3 (XRCC3) Thr241Met polymorphism may be associated with a susceptibility to glioma. The present study aimed to investigate the association between the XRCC3 Thr241Met polymorphism and the potential susceptibility to gliomas. A hospital-based case-control study was conducted, which included a total of 886 patients with glioma and 886 healthy control subjects. Peripheral blood samples were extracted and the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method was performed to analyze the genotypes. The glioma patients had a significantly higher frequency of the XRCC3 241 MetMet genotype [odds ratio (OR) = 1.62; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.09-2.41; P=0.02] compared with the control subjects. When stratified by the grade of the glioma, the patients with stage IV glioma (according to the World Health Organization classification) had a significantly higher frequency of the XRCC3 241 MetMet genotype (OR=1.61; 95% CI: 1.06-2.44; P=0.03). When stratified by the histology of the glioma, there was no significant difference in the distribution of each genotype. The findings of the present study indicate that the XRCC3 Thr241Met polymorphism is associated with a susceptibility to glioma.