Association study of miR‑149 rs2292832 and miR‑608 rs4919510 and the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in a large‑scale population.

Polymorphisms in pre‑microRNAs (miRNAs) or mature miRNAs may influence miRNA processing or target binding, thus contributing to tumorigenesis and cancer development. The present study aimed to evaluate whether miR‑149 rs2292832 (C>T) and miR‑608 rs4919510 (G>C) are associated with the risk and clinical characteristics of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in a large‑scale population. miR‑149 rs2292832 and miR‑608 rs4919510 were genotyped in a total of 993 patients with HCC and 992 unrelated healthy subjects by Sequenom MassARRAY. The results showed that, compared with the reference CC genotype, the TC+TT genotype of miR‑149 was more highly associated with HCC [CC vs. TC+TT: Odds ratio (OR)=1.384, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.013‑1.892, P=0.041], and was also associated with an increased risk of hepatitis B virus (HBV)‑associated HCC (CC vs. TC+TT: OR=1.453, 95% CI=1.034‑2.042, P=0.031). However, no significant association between miRNA‑608 rs4919510 and the risk of HCC/HBV‑associated HCC was found. In addition, these two SNPs were shown not to be correlated with a range of clinical characteristics. The present study may provide an indicator for identification of the high risk of HCC in patients.