Impact of DNA repair gene XRCC3 rs861539 Thr241Met C>T polymorphism on cancer risk in Saudi Arabian population: a meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION: Homologous recombination (HR) DNA repair plays a central role in the defense against DNA damaging agents and for maintaining genomic stability. XRCC3 gene is a key component of the HR pathway; and its functional alterations potentially influence pathogenesis of diseases, including cancers. Indeed, the relationship of XRCC3 exon 7 C>T polymorphism and cancer risk has been the theme of many investigations. However, this association has not been conclusively established in cancer patients from Saudi Arabia. This meta-analysis was therefore carried out to fully ascertain the connection between cancer susceptibility and the XRCC3 exon 7 C>T gene polymorphism. Meta-analysis helps clarify inconsistencies among studies by systematically combining their findings. EVIDENCE ACQUISITION: Relevant articles were selected from online scholarly databases; Medline (PubMed), EMBASE (Excerpta-Medica) and Google Scholar. The statistical significance of the association was determined using odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS: The meta-analysis of the cumulative data from the selected studies did not indicate a significant associations of the allelic (T vs. C, P=0.447, OR=1.110, 95% CI: 0.848-1.455), homozygous mutant (TT vs. CC, P=0.519, OR=1.250, 95% CI: 0.634-2.464), heterozygous (TC vs. CC, P=0.522, OR=1.113, 95% CI: 0.803-1.542), dominant (TT+TC vs. CC, P=0.380, OR=1.147, 95% CI: 0.845-1.556) and recessive (TT vs. TC+CC, P=0.574, OR=1.209, 95% CI: 0.624-2.340) genetic models with cancer susceptibility. No publication bias was detected. CONCLUSIONS: The outcomes of the present study suggested that XRCC3 exon 7 C>T genetic variant may not be associated with cancer risk among Saudis. However, further exhaustive prospective epidemiological studies are required to affirm these results. (Cite this article as: Dailah HG, Mandal RK, Mathkor DM, Babegi AS, Areeshi MY, Haque S. Impact of DNA repair gene XRCC3 rs861539 Thr241Met C>T polymorphism on cancer risk in Saudi Arabian population: a meta-analysis. Minerva Biotechnol Biomol Res 2025;37:96-103. DOI: 10.23736/S2724-542X.25.03135-9)