Association of four common SNPs in microRNA polymorphisms with the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma

We conducted a case-control study to investigate genetic variants of miR-146a rs2910164, miR-196a2 rs11614913, miR-149 rs2292832 and miR-499 rs3746444 in the development of HCC in a Chinese population. This case-control study included 266 HCC patients and 266 control subjects between January 2012 and December 2013. Conditional logistical regression analysis indicated that TT genotype and T allele of miR-196a2 rs11614913 carried a 2.29-fold (95% CI = 1.30-4.05) and 1.60-fold (95% CI = 1.11-2.32) increased risk of HCC when compared with CC genotype, respectively. The subgroup analysis indicated that the effect of miR-196a2 rs11614913 polymorphism was influence by HBV infection. HBV infection subjects carrying the CT + TT genotype of miR-196a2 rs11614913 had an increased risk of HCC, and the OR (95% CI) was 2.89 (1.19-7.02). In conclusion, miR-196a2 rs11614913 polymorphism may contribute to identifying individuals, especially in HBV-infected subjects, who are at high risk for HCC.