Abstract
Several studies have evaluated the association of miR-146a C/G with head and neck cancer (HNC) susceptibility, and overall cancer risk, but with inconclusive outcomes. To drive a more precise estimation, we carried out this meta-analysis. The literature was searched from MEDLINE (mainly PubMed), Embase, the Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar databases to identify eligible studies. A total of 89 studies were included. The results showed that miR-146a C/G was significantly associated with increased HNC risk in dominant model (I2 =15.6%, Pheterogeneity=0.282, odds ratio (OR) =1.088, 95% confidence interval (CI) =1.002–1.182, P=0.044). However, no cancer risk was detected under all genetic models. By further stratified analysis, we found that rs4919510 mutation contributed to the risk of HNC amongst Asians under homozygote model (I2 =0, Pheterogeneity=0.541, OR =1.189, 95% CI =1.025–1.378, P=0.022), and dominant model (I2 =0, Pheterogeneity=0.959, OR =1.155, 95% CI =1.016–1.312, P=0.028). Simultaneously, in the stratified analysis by source of controls, a significantly increased cancer risk amongst population-based studies was found under homozygote model, dominant model, recessive model, and allele comparison model. However, no significant association was found in the stratified analysis by ethnicity and source of control. The results indicated that miR-146a C/G polymorphism may contribute to the increased HNC susceptibility and could be a promising target to forecast cancer risk for clinical practice. However, no significant association was found in subgroup analysis by ethnicity and source of control. To further confirm these results, well-designed large-scale case–control studies are needed in the future.
Highlights
Received: 06 October 2017Revised: 02 December 2017Accepted: 04 December 2017Accepted Manuscript Online: Version of Record published: Cancer, an age old disease, still poses a formidable challenge to researchers and clinicians
Though many individuals are exposed to these external factors, head and neck cancer (HNC) develops only in a small proportion of the exposed people, indicating that intrinsic factors such as genetic polymorphism might play critical roles in its carcinogenic mechanisms
Studies included in this meta-analysis had to meet all of the following criteria: (i) case–control study evaluating the association between miR-146a C/G polymorphism and susceptibility to HNC and overall cancer; (ii) sufficient published data for calculating odds ratios (ORs) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs); (iii) full-text manuscript; and (iv) only the most recent or complete study reporting on the same population of patients was included
Summary
Received: 06 October 2017Revised: 02 December 2017Accepted: 04 December 2017Accepted Manuscript Online: Version of Record published: Cancer, an age old disease, still poses a formidable challenge to researchers and clinicians. Due to its morbidity and mortality, cancer is one of the most dreaded diseases and the related fatalities are majorly attributed to delayed diagnosis and treatment. Head and neck cancer (HNC), the sixth most frequent kind of cancer worldwide, is a group of biologically similar cancers that originate from head and neck regions such as oral cavity, pharyngeal cavity, and larynx [1]. Multifactors such as smoking, drinking, betel quid chewing, papilloma virus infection, and exposure to toxic substances are suggested to be the etiological risk factors for HNC [2,3]. Though many individuals are exposed to these external factors, HNC develops only in a small proportion of the exposed people, indicating that intrinsic factors such as genetic polymorphism might play critical roles in its carcinogenic mechanisms
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