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.
