Objective

The epidermal growth factor (EGF) rs4444903 polymorphism is associated with aberrant expression of EGF, which was a characteristic of cirrhotic liver diseases, induces highly malignant hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Numerous studies have uncovered the association of this polymorphism with the risk of liver disease, but with inconsistent findings.

Materials and methods

Therefore, this meta-analysis was performed to evaluate whether EGF rs4444903 polymorphism conferred susceptibility to liver disease. Totally 18 eligible articles were identified by searching PubMed, Google, CNKI and EMBASE up to December 1, 2020.

Results

Our results indicated that there was no significant difference in the minor G allele frequency of rs4444903 polymorphism between HBV/HCV carriers and healthy controls. In other words, EGF rs4444903 polymorphism was not associated with the risk of HBV/HCV. Interestingly, this polymorphism increased the risk of liver cirrhosis in the controls with HCV infection. Additionally, EGF rs4444903 polymorphism is associated with the increased risk of HCC under the five models. Subgroup analysis by ethnicity shows that rs4444903 polymorphism intensifies the risk of HCC among Asians and Caucasians. Strong correlation is also reported in controls with cirrhosis or HCV infection and studies using PCR–RFLP genotyping.

Conclusions

The study supports that EGF rs4444903 polymorphism is a genetic contributor to liver cirrhosis and HCC in the overall population. Nevertheless, this conclusion must be confirmed by larger studies with more diverse ethnic populations.

中文翻译：

---

EGF rs4444903 多态性与 HCV 相关肝硬化和 HBV/HCV 相关肝细胞癌的风险相关

客观的

表皮生长因子 ( EGF ) rs4444903 多态性与EGF的异常表达有关，这是肝硬化肝病的特征，可诱发高度恶性肝细胞癌 (HCC)。许多研究已经揭示了这种多态性与肝病风险的关联，但结果不一致。

材料和方法

因此，进行该荟萃分析以评估EGF rs4444903多态性是否赋予肝病易感性。截至 2020 年 12 月 1 日，通过搜索 PubMed、Google、CNKI 和 EMBASE 共确定了 18 篇符合条件的文章。

结果

我们的结果表明，在HBV/HCV携带者和健康对照之间，rs4444903多态性的次要G等位基因频率没有显着差异。换言之，EGF rs4444903 多态性与 HBV/HCV 的风险无关。有趣的是，这种多态性增加了 HCV 感染对照组发生肝硬化的风险。此外，EGF rs4444903 多态性与五种模型下 HCC 风险增加有关。按种族进行的亚组分析表明，rs4444903 多态性加剧了亚洲人和高加索人患 HCC 的风险。在肝硬化或 HCV 感染的对照组和使用 PCR-RFLP 基因分型的研究中也报告了强相关性。

结论

该研究支持EGF rs4444903多态性是整个人群中肝硬化和HCC的遗传因素。然而，这一结论必须得到更广泛种族人群的更大规模研究的证实。