Thymidylate synthase genetic polymorphisms and colorectal cancer risk: a meta-analysis.

Aim: The effects of thymidylate synthase (TS) polymorphisms on susceptibility to colorectal cancer (CRC) have been investigated in many studies, but the results remain conflicting rather than conclusive. To resolve these conflicts, we performed a quantitative synthesis of the evidence on the association between these two polymorphisms and CRC risk.

Methods: All eligible case-control studies published up to September 2013 were identified by searching PubMed, Web of Science and CNKI.