Use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is correlated with a reduced risk of cancer through the reduction of inflammation, which is an important risk factor. Several studies have investigated polymorphisms in the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) gene and NSAID use in association with cancer risk. However, these studies yielded mixed results. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the association of PPARγ polymorphisms and NSAID usage with cancer risk. We conducted a comprehensive search of PubMed through May 2013. Odds ratios (ORs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using the fixed-effect or random-effect model. A comprehensive search of the database revealed 6 studies that fulfilled the inclusion criteria. NSAID use was significantly associated with decreased cancer risk regardless of PPARγ rs1801282 genotypes. In a stratified analysis by cancer type, NSAID users who were minor allele carriers had significantly decreased colon cancer risk compared to non-NSAID users (OR=0.73, 95% CI=0.57-0.93), whereas NSAID users homozygous for the major allele had significantly decreased risk for cancers other than colon cancer compared to non-NSAID users (OR=0.79, 95% CI=0.69-0.91). Our results suggest that the association of PPARγ rs1801282 polymorphism and NSAID use with the risk of cancer may differ according to cancer type.