miRNA-146a rs2910164 C>G polymorphism increased the risk of esophagogastric junction adenocarcinoma: a case–control study involving 2,740 participants

Yu Chen,1–3,* Weifeng Tang,4,* Chao Liu,4 Jing Lin,1,2 Yafeng Wang,5 Sheng Zhang,6 Gang Chen,3,7 Xiongwei Zheng3,7 1Department of Medical Oncology, Fujian Cancer Hospital and Fujian Medical University Cancer Hospital, Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China; 2Cancer Bio-Immunotherapy Center, Fujian Cancer Hospital and Fujian Medical University Cancer Hospital, Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China; 3Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Translational Cancer Medicine, Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China; 4Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Affiliated People’s Hospital of Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province, China; 5Department of Cardiology, The People’s Hospital of Xishuangbanna Dai Autonomous Prefecture, Jinghong, Yunnan Province, China; 6Department of General Surgery, Changzhou No. 3 People’s Hospital, Changzhou, Jiangsu Province, China; 7Department of Pathology, Fujian Cancer Hospital and Fujian Medical University Cancer Hospital, Fuzhou, Fujian Province, China *These authors contributed equally to this work Purpose: The miRNA-146a rs2910164 C>G polymorphism may contribute to the development of cancer. However, the association between this polymorphism and the risk of esophagogastric junction adenocarcinoma (EGJA) remains unclear. In the present study, we carried out a case–control study to explore the potential relationship between miRNA-146a rs2910164 C>G polymorphism and EGJA risk. Patients and methods: In total, 1,063 EGJA patients and 1,677 cancer-free controls were enrolled. The SNPscan™ genotyping assay, a patented technology, was used to test the genotyping of miRNA-146a rs2910164 C>G polymorphism. Results: We found that miRNA-146a rs2910164 C>G polymorphism was associated with a risk of developing EGJA (additive model: adjusted odds ratio (OR), 1.27; 95% CI, 1.07–1.51; P=0.006; homozygote model: adjusted OR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.03–1.65; P=0.027 and dominant model: adjusted OR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.15–1.60; P<0.001). After adjustment for the Bonferroni correction, these associations were also found in additive and dominant genetic models. In the subgroup analyses, after adjustment by sex, age, alcohol consumption, and smoking status, results of multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that miRNA-146a rs2910164 C>G polymorphism increased the risk of EGJA in males, females, <64 years old, ≥64 years old, never smoking, and never drinking subgroups. Conclusion: The current study highlights that the miRNA-146a rs2910164 C>G polymorphism increased the risk of EGJA in eastern Chinese Han population. Keywords: miRNA-146a, polymorphism, esophagogastric junction adenocarcinom