Functional coding region polymorphisms -1195A>G (rs689466), -765G>C (rs20417), and +8473T>C (rs5275) in the COX-2 gene have recently been shown to be associated with several human cancers but their association with HCC has yet to be investigated.
In the subgroup analyses stratified by ethnicity, the COX-2 -1195G/A, -765G/C, and +8473T/C were all associated with an increased HCC risk in Asian populations (rs689466 A vs. G: OR = 1.346, P = 0.001, 95% CI: 1.137-1.595, I<sup>2</sup> = 0.0%, P<sub>heterogeneity</sub> = 0.869; rs20417 CC vs. GG + GC: OR = 3.069, P = 0.013, 95% CI: 1.265-7.447; rs5275 CC vs. TT + TC: OR = 1.626, P = 0.020, 95% CI: 1.079-2.452, I<sup>2</sup> = 0.0%, P<sub>heterogeneity</sub> = 0.495).