Progress on Functional Investigation of 3'UTR SNPs in MicroRNA Targeting Genes Associated with Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is the leading cause of worldwide cancer death currently. Its occurrence and development are the result of the interaction of genetic susceptibility and environmental risk factors. According to recent studies of epidemiology and molecular biology, some SNPs of the 3' untranslated region(3'UTR) in the target genes of lung-cancer-related microRNAs were associated with the susceptibility or prognosis of lung cancer, and may exert biological function in tumorigenesis and progression. This article reviews on those functional studies of SNPs associated with lung cancer risk or prognosis, thus to provide reference for further researches, diagnosis, treatments and prevention of cancers including lung cancer.