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Background: Cancer risk has been associated with certain gene variations in microRNA (miRNA), but conflicting evidence warrants re‐assessing of significant results in meta‐analyses. We summarized published meta‐analyses that assess the associations between miRNA polymorphism and cancers to show the validity of the findings. Method: We searched PubMed and investigated the results of meta‐analyses published through November 2018. We re‐assessed the results based on false‐positive report probability (FPRP) to test the noteworthiness of the associations. Results: Sixty‐eight miRNA polymorphisms in 45 meta‐analyses associated with cancer were included. Four (7.4%) and sixteen (25.0%) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were noteworthy (FPRP < 0.2) at a prior probability of 0.001 for interesting candidate genes and a statistical power to detect an odds ratio (OR) of 1.1 and 1.5, respectively. The four miRNA SNPs noteworthy at an OR of 1.1 were as follows: miR‐146a/rs2910164 Cvs.G; miR‐27a/rs895819 Cvs.T; miR‐423/rs6505162 Cvs.A; and miR‐605/rs2043556 Cvs.T. The 16 SNPs noteworthy at an OR of 1.5 include the four genotype comparisons at an OR of 1.1, and the additional 12 genotype comparisons were as follows: miR‐196a2/rs11614913 Tvs.C; miR‐27a/rs895819 GGvs.AA + AG; miR‐196a2/rs11614913 C vs.T; miR‐146a/rs2910164 Gvs.C; miR‐196a2/rs11614913 Tvs.C; miR‐146a/rs2910164 Cvs.G; miR‐499/rs3746444 homozygous model; miR‐146a/rs2910164 CCvs.GG + GC; miR‐499/rs3746444 TCvs.TT; miR‐499/rs3746444 GAvs.AA; miR‐146a/rs2910164 CCvs.GG; and miR‐499/rs3746444 Gvs.A. No association was noteworthy at a prior probability of 0.000001. Conclusion: Out of 68 published associations of miRNA polymorphisms with cancer, sixteen have shown noteworthiness in our re‐assessing meta‐analysis. Our findings summarize the results of meta‐analyses on the association of cancer with SNPs and underline the importance of interpreting results with caution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The detoxification enzyme AKR1B10, a member of the aldo-keto reductase superfamily, is discussed as a new biomarker candidate for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Only rare clinicopathological data on AKRB1B10 in HCC exist. This retrospective study determines the diagnostic and prognostic relevance of AKR1B10 expression in HCC and its relationship to a series of clinicopathological parameters including underlying aetiological factors. A series of 168 patients with HCCs treated either by surgical resection ( n=92) or liver transplantation ( n=76) were investigated after construction of a tissue micro-array. Immunohistochemically confirmed AKR1B10 expression was correlated with clinicopathologically relevant parameters as well as proliferative activity (indicated by Ki-67 immunostaining) and apoptosis (terminal deoxyribonucleotide transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labelling). AKR1B10 overexpression is significantly associated with lower pT-classification ( P=0.030) and highly statistically associated with an underlying viral hepatitis ( P<0.001) and the presence of cirrhosis ( P<0.001). In addition, loss of AKR1B10 expression correlates with increased proliferative activity (Ki-67, P=0.001). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis of the resection group reveals a poorer prognosis in patients with AKR1B10-negative HCCs compared with patients with strongly positive HCCs ( P=0.046). This study confirms and expands data on the expression of AKR1B10 in HCC, suggesting that this enzyme is a valuable novel biomarker candidate for staging of HCC, especially in patients with underlying virus hepatitis or cirrhosis, and may present a new therapeutic target for multimodal therapy concepts. We confirm its prognostic value and conclude that high expression of AKR1B10 reflects a less aggressive tumour behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]