Is vitamin D receptor (VDR) polymorphism associated with head and neck cancer risk? A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Head and neck cancer encompasses neoplasms affecting the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, and thyroid. Identifying factors that modulate the carcinogenesis process can aid in identifying subgroups at higher risk of developing the disease, enabling implementation of prevention programs. Vitamin D receptor polymorphisms can affect the carcinogenesis of various tumors by altering vitamin D metabolism and cellular response.

Methods: To elucidate the role of vitamin D receptor polymorphisms in head and neck cancer, a systematic review was performed, searching the Embase, PubMed, Scopus, and Lilacs databases. A total of 19 articles met the inclusion criteria. The frequency of vitamin D receptors polymorphism alleles (FokI, ApaI, BsmI, TaqI, Cdx2, rs2107301, rs2238135) was recorded and pooled to calculate the odds ratio in a meta-analysis using the Review Manager software.

Results: Subgroup analysis demonstrated significant associations in the anatomical site of cancer (oral cancer in ApaI and BsmI, and unspecified subsites of head and neck cancer in TaqI), genotyping method (FokI and BsmI), and continent of the study (ApaI, FokI, and BsmI).

Conclusion: Our findings were heterogeneous, as with other evidence available in the literature. Therefore, more clinical studies with larger sample sizes are needed to obtain more accurate results on the relationship between vitamin D receptor polymorphism and head and neck cancer.