61 (95%CI: 1.08-2.39) (figure 2) (Table 2). There was heterogeneity among studies (p for heterogeneity = 0.04, I2 = 0.55). Sensitivity analysis showed that the result was also not robust (figure not shown). There was no small-study bias among the studies (Egger’s p = 0.65). Figure 2 Forest plot of the RE ORs and 95% CIs of the studies on the association between HCC and the HFE C282Y mutation (Y vs. C) of seven studies (using healthy controls). (2) Four studies used alcoholic LC patients as controls. Four studies included 224 HCC patients with alcoholic LC and 380 alcoholic LC patients without HCC.

Meta-analysis provided more distinct association of C282Y polymorphism with HCC among alcoholic LC patients. FE OR reached 4.06 (95%CI: 2.08-7.92, p for heterogeneity = 0.77, I2 = 0) in the dominant model (Figure 3), and 3.41(95%CI: 1.81-6.41, selleck compound p for heterogeneity = 0.47, I2 = 0) as allele Y compared with allele C, respectively (Table 2). Sensitivity analyses of two models both gave robust results. Figure 4 showed the sensitivity analysis of the dominant model. There was no small-study bias (Egger’s p: 0.25-0.43). Figure 3 Forest plot of the FE ORs and 95% CIs of the studies on the association between HCC and the HFE C282Y mutation (YY+CY check details Vs. CC) of four studies (using alcoholic LC controls). Figure 4 Sensitivity analysis of the association of C282Y (YY+CY vs. CC) and HCC among alcoholic LC patients of four studies,

in which the meta-analysis estimates were computed omitting one study at a time. The results indicated the association was robust. (3) Meta-analysis of four studies that used viral LC patients as controls (including 160 case and 203 controls) showed both dominant model and allele contrast had a non-significantly decreased risk of HCC (FE Methane monooxygenase OR = 0.70, 95%CI: 0.32-1.50 and FE OR = 0.71, 95%CI: 0.34-1.50, respectively). There was no small-study bias among studies (Egger’s p = 0.51 and 0.52, respectively) and no

heterogeneity among studies (I2 = 0) (figure not shown). H63D Eight studies (included 958 cases and 2258 controls) provided H63D genotype data. Variant D allele frequency was 16.81% (322/1916) in cases and 14.32% (657/4516) in controls, respectively. Overall, this meta-analysis did not show H63D polymorphisms had influence on HCC occurrence. FE OR was 1.19 (95%CI: 0.90-1.58, p for heterogeneity = 0.01, I2 = 0.60) and1.08 (95%CI: 0.83-1.39, p for heterogeneity = 0.01, I2 = 0.61) in the dominant model and allele contrast model, respectively (figure not shown). There was no small-study bias among studies (Egger’s p = 0.62 and 0.34, respectively). We also performed subgroup meta-analysis according to the characteristics of controls (healthy controls and chronic liver diseases controls), but all genetic models did not show evidence of associations with HCC (detailed data not shown). The statistic power is an important issue on gene-disease association study.