MicroRNA Gene Polymorphisms in Evaluating Therapeutic Efficacy After Transcatheter Arterial Chemoembolization for Primary Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the value of microRNA (miR) gene polymorphisms in evaluating the efficacy of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) in primary hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Materials and Methods: A total of 507 patients with primary HCC were enrolled at our hospital from August 2010 to December 2014. All of them received TACE and were divided into either an effective treatment group (237 cases), or an ineffective group (270 cases) according to the treatment efficacy. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism was used to genotype the single-nucleotide polymorphisms of miR-196a2 rs11614913, miR-146a rs2910164, miR-499a rs3746444, and miR-149 rs2292832, and the genotypes and allele frequencies between the two groups were compared. Results: The frequencies of the CC genotype of miR-196a2 (rs11614913) and the GG genotype of miR-499a (rs3746444) were significantly higher in the ineffective group than in the effective group (both p<0.05). For miR-196a2 (rs11614913), the overall survival (OS) of patients with the TT genotype was higher than patients with the CT+CC genotypes (p<0.05); for miR-499a (rs3746444), the OS of patients with the AA genotype was higher than patients with the AG+GG genotypes (p<0.05). MiR-196a2 rs11614913, miR-499a rs3746444, hepatitis B surface antigen (HbsAg), hepatitis B history, and Child-Pugh classification were independent prognostic factors for OS (all p<0.05). Conclusion:MiR-196a2 rs11614913 and miR-499a rs3746444 were significantly associated with a curative effect and a positive prognosis of TACE for primary HCC.