MicroRNAs (miRNAs) function as gene regulator and they participate in diverse biological pathways. Common single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in pre-microRNAs may change their property through altering miRNAs expression and/or maturation. We conducted a pilot study to test whether SNPs in pre-microRNAs were associated with cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC). Genotypes of three SNPs in pre-miRNAs (hsa-miR-196a2 rs11614913 C/T, hsa-miR-499 rs3746444 A/G, and hsa-miR-146a rs2910164 G/C) in 226 CSCC patients and 309 control subjects were determined with the use of PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) assay. Significantly increased CSCC risks were found to be associated with G allele of rs3746444 and G allele of rs2910164 (P = 0.017, OR = 1.454, and P = 0.016, OR = 1.355, respectively). Increased CSCC risks were associated with them in different genetic model (P = 0.0004, OR = 1.98 for rs3746444 in an overdominant model, and P = 0.024, OR = 2.10 for rs2910164 in a codominant model, respectively). Results of stratified analyses revealed that rs2910164 is associated with tumor differentiation and lymph node status (P = 0.043, OR = 2.08, and a borderline P = 0.057, OR = 0.41, respectively). No association between rs11614913 and CSCC risk was observed. The present study provides evidence that rs3746444 and rs2910164 are associated with CSCC, indicating that common genetic polymorphisms in pre-microRNAs contribute to the pathogenesis of CSCC.
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