Association of mir196a2 and mir146a polymorphisms and colorectal cancer risk: A meta-analysis

Abstract

Non-coding RNAs known as microRNAs (miRNAs) play a role as oncogenes or tumor suppressors. One form of genetic variation in the human genome is single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in miRNA regions. The relationships between miRNA SNPs and different types of cancer have been the subject of numerous investigations. This article looks into the link between colorectal cancer (CRC) and specific variations known as mir-196a2 and mir-146a. It does this by reviewing related research studies. To find all the papers that were relevant, we searched the literature in PubMed, Web of Science, and Science Direct. We evaluated the associations using three genetic models, which included a pooled ratio and a 95 % confidence range. In the groups from China, Italy, and Greece, we found a strong connection between the mir-196a2 genetic variation and colorectal cancer (CRC). The odds ratios (OR) for the different models were: for the additive model, it was 1.99, which means there was a significant link; for the dominant model, it was 1.24, which also meant there was a significant link; and for the recessive model, it was 1.09, which also meant there was a significant link. We found that the mir-146a variant greatly lowered the risk of cancer in allele (OR 0.32, 95 % CI 0.30–0.34, p = 0.0001, G vs. C), dominant (OR 0.72, 95 % CI 0.68–0.77), and heterozygous codominant (OR 0.51, 95 % CI 0.49–0.54, p = 0.000, GC vs. CC) genetic models. Stratified studies found that the mir-146a variation significantly reduced the risk of colon cancer. This meta-analysis adds to the growing body of evidence linking the mir-196a2 gene variant to colorectal cancer, particularly in the populations of Greece, Italy, and China. Our results indicate that the C/G polymorphism of miR-146a does not seem to be associated with CRC susceptibility. We need additional case-control studies to back up our findings in the future.