Abstract To date, many studies on the association between methionine synthase (MTR) A2756G and childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) have provided either controversial or inconclusive results. To clarify the effect of MTR A2756G on the risk of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a meta-analysis of all relevant studies was performed. The fixed effects model showed that the 2756A allele was associated with a decreased risk of childhood ALL compared with the G allele (ORA vs. G = 0.872; 95% CI 0.782-0.974; p = 0.015, I(2) = 46.9%). Additionally, when comparing subjects with ALL and controls with AA vs. AG or AA vs. AG + GG (dominant model), significant differences were found in the fixed effects model (ORAA vs. AG = 0.869; 95% CI 0.760-0.994; p = 0.040, I(2) = 26.4%; ORAA vs. AG+ GG = 0.858; 95% CI 0.754-0.976; p = 0.020, I(2) = 39.6%). In a subgroup analysis in a population with the same background, individuals with the AA genotype had a reduced risk of developing ALL compared to individuals with the AG genotype. In conclusion, our study provides evidence suggesting that MTR A2756G is associated with a reduced risk of developing childhood ALL.
Keywords: Methionine synthase; childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia; meta-analysis; polymorphism.