Association study of microRNA polymorphisms with hepatocellular carcinoma in Korean population

Recent studies have suggested that common genetic polymorphisms alter the processing of microRNA (miRNA) and may be associated with the development and progression of cancer. The association of miRNA polymorphisms with HCC survival was analyzed in 159 HCC patients and 201 controls by the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. The risk of HCC was significantly lower for the miR-499A>G, AG+GG in HCC patients (AOR=0.603, 95% CI=0.370–0.984) and hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related HCC patients (AOR=0.561, 95% CI 0.331–0.950). In addition, the risk of HCC was significantly lower for the miR-149C>T, CT and CT+CC in HCC patients (CT; AOR=0.542, 95% CI=0.332–0.886, CT+CC; AOR=0.536, 95% CI=0.335–0.858) and HBV-related HCC patients (CT: AOR=0.510, 95% CI 0.305–0.854, CT+CC: AOR=0.496, 95% CI 0.302–0.813). The miR-149C>T polymorphism was also associated with survival rate of HCC patients in OKUDA II stage. miR-149C>T and miR-499A>G were associated with HBV-related HCC. Further studies on larger populations will need to be conducted to confirm these results. ► We investigated the association of four microRNA polymorphisms in Korean HCC patients. ► We could find the relation between miR-149C>T and miR-499A>G with occurrence of HCC. ► miR-149C>T and miR-499A>G may contribute to incidence of HCC.