The association between microRNA polymorphisms and the risk of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia: A meta-analysis

1Introduction

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a malignant disorder of immature lymphoid progenitors, is the most common pediatric cancer in developed societies [1] . This disease causes approximately one third of pediatric malignancies. It is more common in boys, and the peak age of onset is 2–5 years old [2] . ALL is a multifactorial disease that has no recognized etiology yet [34] . Infection, environmental and geographical variables, and genetic susceptibility are factors that influence the occurrence of ALL in different communities [24567 . A microRNA (miRNA) is a small non-coding regulatory RNA molecule of approximately 22 nucleotides that binds to the 3′-UTR of target mRNAs to silence their expression after transcription [8] . In addition, miRNAs have a key function in biological processes such as proliferation, apoptosis, and development [9] . SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) are common genetic variations in DNA sequences that have the potential to be used as biomarkers for cancer risk prediction [10] . Since some SNPs are located in miRNA-producing genes, miRNA processing machinery, or miRNA target genes, they might influence the ultimate level and function of miRNAs [1112] . Several case-control studies have shown that SNPs in miRNAs, including rs2910164 (G > C) in miR-146a, rs11614913 (T > C) in miR-196a2, rs4938723 (T > C) in pri-miR-34b/c, rs12803915 (G > A) in miR-612, and rs3746444 (A > G) in miR-499, may be associated with childhood ALL risk, but the research conclusions are not the same 1314151617181920212223242526 . In this study, the meta-analysis method was used to systematically evaluate the association between the polymorphism of the afore-mentioned miRNAs and the susceptibility of childhood ALL, in order to provide evidence-based medicine.