Association of MicroRNA-146a rs2910164 Polymorphism and Lung Cancer in Iranian Population: A Case-Control Study

Lung cancer is the first cause of cancer deaths worldwide. Polymorphisms in microRNAs genes affect their structure and their attachment to target genes. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the association of miR-146a rs2910164 polymorphism with the risk of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in Iranian patients. 

This case-control study was performed among 103 patients with lung cancer and 100 healthy controls. The genotyping of miR-146a rs2910164 polymorphism was assayed by polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR–RFLP) and a number of samples were sequenced for final approval. 

A significant association was found between rs2910164 polymorphism CG genotype and risk of lung cancer progression in dominant models (CG vs. GG: OR=1.855, CI=1.09-3.33, P=0.03). There was no association between the C allele and frequency of rs2910164C>G polymorphism and risk of lung cancer (C vs. G: OR=1.54, CI=0.97-2.44, P=0.08). 

There was a significant association between miR-146a rs2910164 polymorphism and lung cancer in Iranian population. This polymorphism can be considered as a risk factor of non-small cell lung cancer.