Objective MicroRNA plays a vital role in gene expression, and microRNA dysregulation is involved in carcinogenesis. The miR- 196a-2 polymorphism rs11614913 is reportedly associated with cancer susceptibility. This meta-analysis was performed to assess the overall association of miR-196a-2 with cancer risk. Methods A total of 27 independent case-control studies involving 10,435 cases and 12,075 controls were analyzed for the rs11614913 polymorphism. Results A significant association was found between rs11614913 polymorphism and cancer risk in four genetic models （CT vs. TT, OR-1.15, 95%CI=1.05-1.27; CC vs. TT, OR=1.23, 95%CI=1.08-1.39; Dominant model, OR=1.17, 95%CI=1.06-1.30; Additive model, OR-1.08, 95%CI=1.01-1.14）. In the subgroup analysis of different tumor types, the C allele was associated with increased risk of lung, breast, and colorectat cancer, but not with liver, gastric, or esophageal cancer. In the subgroup analysis by ethnicity, a significantly increased risk of cancer was found among Asians in all genetic models, but no associations were found in the Caucasian subgroup. Conclusions The meta-analysis demonstrated that the miR-196a-2 polymorphism is associated with cancer susceptibility, especially lung cancer, colorectal cancer, and breast cancer among Asian populations.
