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Purpose: Several studies have suggested an association between the polymorphisms AhR Arg554Lys, AhRR Pro185Ala, and ARNT Val189Val and endometriosis, but results have been inconclusive. The aim of the present study was to assess these associations by meta-analysis. Methods: Eligible literatures were retrieved from PubMed, ISI Web of Science, Elsevier Science Direct, and several Chinese databases. The pooled odds ratios (ORs) and the corresponding 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated with a random or fixed-effect model. Results: A total of six eligible studies were included. Regarding the AhR Arg554Lys and ARNT Val189Val polymorphisms, no obvious associations were found in either overall analysis or subgroup analysis based on the country, source of control, sample size, and genotyping method. For the AhRR Pro185Ala polymorphism, overall results suggested a marginal association with endometriosis susceptibility under the dominant model (OR = 1.65, 95 % CI = 1.00-2.72). Furthermore, a significantly increased risk for endometriosis was found in the subgroups which used the TaqMan method for genotype analysis or had a sample size ≥200. Conclusions: This meta-analysis suggested that the polymorphisms of AhR Arg554Lys and ARNT Val189Val are not associated with endometriosis, while the AhRR Pro185Ala polymorphism may be associated with endometriosis risk. However, further case-control studies with larger sample sizes are needed to confirm our results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Nine previously reported associations between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and breast cancer outcomes from the Shanghai Breast Cancer Study (Stage 1) were further evaluated in relation to disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) among 5,192 additional breast cancer patients (Stage 2). Methods: Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated by proportional hazards regression in models adjusted for age, disease stage, estrogen and progesterone receptor status, and treatment regimens. Results: Two SNPs had generally consistent results and significant associations with OS in combined analyses. Compared to women with MMP7 rs11225297 AA genotypes, OS was moderately better for women with AT genotypes (HR: 0.8, 95% CI: 0.7-1.0) and much better for women with TT genotypes (HR: 0.4, 95% CI: 0.2-0.8). Compared to women with MMP8 rs11225395 CC genotypes, OS was slightly better for women with CT genotypes (HR: 0.9, 95% CI: 0.7-1.1) and moderately better for women with TT genotypes (HR: 0.6, 95% CI: 0.4-0.9). Joint analysis showed significant dose-response relationships with increasing numbers of rare alleles for both OS ( p < 0.001) and DFS ( p = 0.001). Conclusions: A functional variant in MMP8 and a SNP in high linkage disequilibrium with a functional variant in MMP7 were significantly associated with breast cancer survival in a large two-stage survival study among Chinese women. This supports the hypothesis that SNPs in matrix metalloproteinase genes may influence breast cancer prognosis; additional research on these and other SNPs in genes important in metastasis, angiogenesis, and the regulation of the tumor microenvironment is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]