In a meta-analysis of seven studies of 905 oesophageal cancer cases in East Asians, individuals with the ALDH2 *2*2 genotype were found to have a lower risk of oesophageal cancer as compared to those with a *1*1 genotype (OR 0.36; 95% CI 0.16, 0.80). This evidence concerns the gene ALDH2 and carcinoma of esophagus.