Considerable studies exploring the relevance of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the prostate cancer noncoding RNA 1 (PRNCR1) gene with various cancer susceptibilities have obtained debatable results. This meta-analysis was performed to precisely assess this association. Relevant published studies were selected by retrieving studies from PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CNKI and Chinese Wanfang databases. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were applied to evaluate the strength of PRNCR1 polymorphisms correlated with cancer susceptibility. A total of 12 articles, containing 40 independent case-control studies and seven SNPs (rs1016343, rs13252298, rs16901946, rs7007694, rs1456315, rs13254738 and rs7463708), were ultimately included in our meta-analysis. Summary results revealed a significant association with an increased overall risk of cancer for the rs1016343 C>T polymorphism (T vs C: OR=1.19, 95% CI=1.02-1.39; TT+CT vs CC: OR= 1.25, 95% CI=1.05-1.49) and rs16901946 A>G polymorphism (G vs A: OR=1.17, 95% CI=1.09-1.27; GG+AG vs AA: OR=1.20, 95% CI=1.09-1.32). Moreover, evidence of the rs13252298 A>G polymorphism correlation with decreased overall risk of cancer was observed (GG vs AG+AA: OR=0.78, 95% CI =0.67-0.92). Subgroup analyses by cancer type and ethnicity also revealed that the rs1016343 C>T polymorphism was linked with an increased risk of prostate cancer and Caucasians, respectively. The rs13252298 A>G polymorphism was correlated with a decreased risk of colorectal cancer and prostate cancer. The rs16901946 A>G polymorphism was related to an increased risk of gastric cancer and colorectal cancer in Asians. Additionally, the rs13254738 A>C polymorphism was correlated with reduced cancer risk in Asians. No correlations were discovered with cancer risk in rs7007694 T>C, rs7463708 T>G, and rs1456315 A>G polymorphisms. In summary, our meta-analysis indicates that PRNCR1 rs1016343, rs16901946 and 13252298 polymorphisms are associated with cancer susceptibility. Further large-scale studies are required to certify our findings.