ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the correlation between miR-124 rs531564 polymorphisms and the susceptibility to cervical cancer in Chinese Han women in Guangdong Province.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The genotypes of miR-124 rs531564 polymorphism were determined using polymerase chain reaction-based ligase detection reaction (PCR-LDR) in 107 cervical cancer patients and 208 healthy female blood donors. The correlation between the polymorphism and the susceptibility to cervical cancer was evaluated using unconditional logistic regression analysis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The incidence of HPV infection in the patients (93.1%) was much higher than that in the control subjects (16.8%, P<0.001), suggesting the importance of HPV infection as a critical risk factor for cervical cancer. The G allele of miR-124 rs531564 polymorphism in the cervical cancer patients was much less frequent than that in the controls (8.0% vs 15.1%, P=0.014), suggesting its possible role as a protective allele. Compared with those carrying CC genotype, individuals carrying the CG and GG genotypes showed a significantly reduced risk for cervical cancer (OR=0.47, 95% CI=0.26-0.88, P=0.017), and this protective role of the G allele was more prominent in older women (≥45 years old) (OR=0.28, 95% CI=0.10-0.76, P=0.012).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>miR-124 rs531564 polymorphism may play a role in cervical cancer susceptibility in Chinese Han women, and G allele is associated with a reduced risk of cervical cancer.</p>