A number of studies have investigated the association between the NBS1 Glu185Gln (rs1805794, 8360 G>C) polymorphism and risk for urinary system cancer including bladder cancer, prostate cancer, and renal cell cancer; however, the findings are conflicting. We conducted a meta-analysis focusing on eight published studies with 3,542 cases and 4,210 controls to derive a more precise evaluation of the relationship between the NBS1 Glu185Gln polymorphism and urinary system cancer susceptibility. Overall, the NBS1 Glu185Gln polymorphism was significantly related to increased risk for urinary system cancer (homozygous model: odds ratio (OR)=1.23, 95 % confidence interval (95% CI)= 1.05–1.44, p=0.011; heterozygous model: OR=1.14, 95% CI=1.04–1.26, p=0.008; dominant model: OR=1.16, 95% CI=1.05–1.27, p=0.002; and Gln vs. Glu: OR=1.12, 9% CI=1.04–1.20, p=0.002) and further stratification analysis indicated an increased risk for bladder cancer (heterozygous model: OR=1.13, 95% CI=1.02–1.26, p=0.022; dominant model: OR=1.14, 95% CI=1.03–1.26, p=0.014; and Gln vs. Glu: OR=1.09, 95%CI=1.01–1.18, p=0.023) and Caucasian populations (homozygous model: OR=1.33, 95% CI=1.11–1.59, p=0.002; heterozygous model: OR=1.16, 95% CI=1.04–1.30, p=0.009; dominant model: OR=1.19, 95% CI=1.07–1.32, p=0.001; and Gln vs. Glu: OR=1.15, 95% CI=1.06–1.25, p<0.001). Despite some limitations, this meta-analysis established some solid statistical evidence for the association between NBS1 Glu185Gln polymorphism and increased risk for urinary system cancer, especially for bladder cancer, but more well-designed prospective studies are needed to further verify our findings.