Affiliations: Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Jian Gao, Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, 74 Linjiang Road, Yuzhong District, Chongqing 400010, China. Tel.: +86 023 63693325; Fax: +86 023 63711527; E-mail: g6j6@sohu.com
Abstract:
BACKGROUND: Accumulating evidence has demonstrated that single
nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in microRNAs (miR-146a rs2910164 and
miR-196a2 rs11614913) might be connected with the risk of gastric
cancer (GC). However, the studies are controversial and inconclusive. We
performed this meta-analysis to assess the potential association between two
SNPs and susceptibility to GC systematically and comprehensively. METHODS: Through a systematic literature search, eight case-control
studies for rs2910164 and seven case-control studies for rs11614913 were
identified and included in this meta-analysis. The odds ratios (ORs) and
95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated to investigate the
association between the two SNPs and the GC risk. Additionally, a subgroup
analysis and a publication bias test were performed. RESULTS: Our results showed that the only significant association
between the miR-146a rs2910164 polymorphism and susceptibility to gastric
cancer was found in the heterozygous model (OR = 0.884, 95% CI:
0.795-0.983, Ph= 0.326, P = 0.022). Similarly, when stratified by
ethnicity, there was an obvious correlation in the heterozygous model (OR =
0.734, 95% CI: 0.542-0.993, Ph = 0.441, P = 0.045) in Caucasians but
not in Asians. For miR-196a2, this meta-analysis suggested that neither the
allele frequency nor the genotype distribution of the polymorphism was
associated with GC risk in the five genetic models. Similarly, the subgroup
analysis by ethnicity showed no association with susceptibility to GC. CONCLUSION: Our studies suggested that the miR-146a rs2910164
polymorphism might marginally contribute to a decreased risk of gastric
cancer, especially in Caucasians, whereas the miR-196a2 rs11614913
polymorphism might not be associated with susceptibility to GC.
