MicroRNAs (
miRNAs) are gene regulators involved in numerous diseases including
cancer, heart disease,
neurological disorders, vascular abnormalities and autoimmune conditions. Although
hsa-mir-499 rs3746444 polymorphism was shown to contribute to the susceptibility of multiple genes to
cancer, the data have yielded conflicting results. Therefore, this meta-analysis was performed to provide a comprehensive assessment of potential association between
hsa-mir-499 rs3746444 polymorphism and
cancer risk. In this meta-analysis, a total of 9 articles regarding 10 eligible case-control studies in English (including 6134 cases and 7141 controls) were analyzed. No significant association between
hsa-mir-499 rs3746444 polymorphism and overall
cancer risk was demonstrated. However, an increased risk was observed in the subgroup of
breast cancer patients (G allele vs A allele: OR = 1.10, 95% CI = 1.00-1.20; P heterogeneity = 0.114; I (2) = 53.9%) and population-based studies (G allele vs A allele: OR = 1.12, 95% CI = 1.00-1.25; P heterogeneity = 0.062; I (2) = 64.0%). The findings suggested an association between
hsa-mir-499 rs3746444 polymorphism and increased risk to
breast cancer.