Correlation between single nucleotide polymorphisms in microRNAs and hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma risk

We aimed to investigate the correlation between the four common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in microRNAs (miR-146a rs2910164, miR-196a2 rs11614913, miR-499 rs3746444 and miR-149 rs2292832) and hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HBV-related HCC) risk through a systematic review and meta-analysis. Odds ratios (ORs) along with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were pooled to explore the strength of associations between SNPs in microRNAs and HBV-related HCC risk. All statistical analyses were performed using Stata 12.0 software. For miR-146a rs2910164, a significantly decreased risk of HBV-related HCC development was observed under recessive model (CC versus GC+GG: OR = 0.83, 95% CI 0.71-0.98, P = 0.03), and results remain robust in Asian populations. As for miR-196a2 rs11614913, significant association was found under four genetic models (T versus C: OR = 0.61, 95% CI 0.43-0.87, P = 0.01; TT versus CC: OR = 0.35, 95% CI 0.16-0.75, P = 0.01; TT+CT versus CC: OR = 0.59, 95% CI 0.36-0.96, P = 0.03; TT versus CT+CC: OR = 0.42, 95% CI 0.21-0.87, P = 0.02) among Caucasians, but no significant association on Asians. The current meta-analysis demonstrates that miR-146a rs2910164 polymorphism may play a potential role in genetic susceptibility to HBV-related HCC in Asian populations.