Lack of associations between AURKA gene polymorphisms and neuroblastoma susceptibility in Chinese children.

Previous studies have demonstrated that polymorphisms in the AURKA gene are associated with various types of cancer. In neuroblastoma, AURKA protein product regulates N-myc protein levels and plays a critical role in tumorigenesis. To investigate the association between three AURKA polymorphisms (rs1047972 C>T, rs2273535 T>A, and rs8173 G>C) and neuroblastoma susceptibility in Chinese populations, we performed this two-center case-control study including 393 neuroblastoma cases and 812 controls. Two study populations were recruited from two different regions in China. No significant associations were identified amongst any of the three AURKA polymorphisms and the risk of neuroblastoma. Similar observations were found in the stratified analysis. In conclusion, our results indicate that none of the AURKA polymorphisms are associated with neuroblastoma susceptibility in two distinct Chinese populations. Further studies with larger sample sizes and different ethnicities are warranted to validate our results.