Research Article Association between Two Common Polymorphisms and Risk of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Evidence from an Updated Meta-Analysis

License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Background. Recent studies suggested that two common polymorphisms, miR-146a G>C and miR-196a2 C>T, may be associated with individual susceptibility to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the results remain conflicting rather than conclusive. Object.The aim of this study was to assess the association betweenmiR-146a G>C andmiR-196a2 C>T polymorphisms and the risk of HCC.Methods. A meta-analysis of 17 studies (10938 cases and 11967 controls) was performed. Odds ratios and 95 % confidence intervals were used to evaluate the strength of the association. Results. For miR-146a G>C, the variant genotypes were associated with a decreased risk of HCC (CC versus GG: OR = 0.780 and 95 % CI 0.700–0.869; GC/CC versus GG: OR = 0.865 and 95 % CI 0.787–0.952; CC versus GC/GG:OR = 0.835 and 95%CI 0.774–0.901). FormiR-196a2 C>T, significant associationwas also observe