Hsa-mir-499 rs3746444 polymorphism and cancer risk: a meta-analysis

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are gene regulators involved in numerous diseases including cancer, heart disease, neurological disorders, vascular abnormalities and autoimmune conditions. Although hsa-mir-499 rs3746444 polymorphism was shown to contribute to the susceptibility of multiple genes to cancer, the data have yielded conflicting results. Therefore, this meta-analysis was performed to provide a comprehensive assessment of potential association between hsa-mir-499 rs3746444 polymorphism and cancer risk. In this meta-analysis, a total of 9 articles regarding 10 eligible case-control studies in English (including 6134 cases and 7141 controls) were analyzed. No significant association between hsa-mir-499 rs3746444 polymorphism and overall cancer risk was demonstrated. However, an increased risk was observed in the subgroup of breast cancer patients (G allele vs A allele: OR = 1.10, 95% CI = 1.00-1.20; P_{heterogeneity} = 0.114; I² = 53.9%) and population-based studies (G allele vs A allele: OR = 1.12, 95% CI = 1.00-1.25; P_{heterogeneity} = 0.062; I² = 64.0%). The findings suggested an association be-tween hsa-mir-499 rs3746444 polymorphism and increased risk to breast cancer.