BACKGROUND: The functional polymorphism rs4938723 in the promoter region of pri-miR-34b/c is potentially associated with susceptibility to several cancers, including hepatocellular carcinoma, colorectal cancer, and breast cancer. Here we conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis to investigate the association between rs4938723 and cancer risk.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: Eligible studies extracted from the databases of PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library were evaluated. Statistical analysis was performed using Revman 5.2 and STATA 12.0 software.

RESULTS: By characterizing the extracted data, a total of 11 studies reported in 10 publications including 6169 cases and 6337 controls were selected for further analysis. Our results revealed a significant association between the rs4938723 polymorphism and cancer risk in the codominant model (TC vs. TT: OR=1.10, 95% CI=1.02–1.19, P=0.009) but not in other genetic models. In the stratified analysis of different cancer types, a significant association was found in nasopharyngeal cancer, osteosarcoma, and renal cell cancer. Furthermore, stratified analysis of ethnicity indicated that a highly significant association was shown in the Asian population in a codominant model (TC vs. TT: OR=1.13, 95% CI=1.03–1.24, P=0.007) when compared with African-Americans and Caucasians.

CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the current study suggests that the miR-34b/c rs4938723 polymorphism may be associated with the risk of cancers, including nasopharyngeal cancer, osteosarcoma, and renal cell cancer, and to some extent this polymorphism is closely related to cancer susceptibility in Asians.

Keywords: Case-Control Studies, MicroRNAs - genetics, Neoplasms - genetics, Polymorphism, Genetic