Furthermore, we used the data-mining analytical approach, MDR, to enhance the likelihood of identifying gene-gene interactions and a (+)-JQ1 strong interaction between four SNPs in HPGD, SCO2A1 and ABCC4 genes reinforcing the data from single–locus analysis and lending further support to the involvement of genetic susceptibility biomarkers in colorectal carcinogenesis. Non-melanoma skin cancers are the most prevalent malignancy in the US, exceeding all other cancers combined with an estimated 2 million new diagnoses each year. Incidence of NMSC, which include basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas, has continued to rise. Both BCC and SCC are relatively treatable and have low rates of mortality, but NMSCs can have high rates of recurrence and can cause significant disfiguration, particularly on the head and neck regions where they commonly occur. While BCC and SCC both arise from keratinocytes or their precursors, there are key differences in their incidence and etiology. BCC tends to be more common and is thought arise de novo, while SCC develops in a multistep progression from OTX015 premalignant precursor lesions to more aggressive skin tumors over time. SCC also appears to be more strongly related to cumulative lifetime sun exposure and has a greater capacity to metastasize. NMSCs are generally not included in cancer registries. While ultraviolet light exposure and skin sensitivity are known risk factors for NMSC development, inflammation and immunity are also key elements of NMSC etiology. Immunosuppressed individuals tend to have much higher NMSC incidence rates than immunocompetent individuals, as evidenced by 65- to 250-fold increased incidence rates of SCC and 10- to 16-fold increased incidence rates of BCC in organ transplant recipients who are routinely treated with immunosuppressive agents to prevent organ rejection, and a more modest increase in NMSC incidence among individuals chronically treated with glucocorticoids. Further, imiquimod, a topical cream that is thought to induce a localized immune response, has been a successful treatment for NMSC and precancerous skin lesions. Given that immune function has been closely linked to NMSC development, it is likely that genetic variation in key immune regulatory mechanisms impacts susceptibility to these prevalent malignancies. MiR-146a is a microRNA of particular interest in the etiology NMSCs, as it is an important modulator of inflammatory immune responses, coordinating myeloid and lymphocyte function to impact aspects of both innate and adaptive immunity. MiRNAs are short, non-coding RNAs that repress specific target mRNAs by binding imperfectly to sequences frequently located in 39-untranslated regions, and have emerged as key regulators of virtually all cellular processes, both physiological and pathogenic. Post-transcriptional regulation by miRNAs is thought to affect the majority of mRNA transcripts and functional genetic variation in miRNAs has the potential to broadly impact disease processes, given the large number of genes and pathways targeted by each miRNA. However, there are only a few examples of functional polymorphisms in miRNAs. Among them is rs2910164 contained in the pre-miR-146a, which reduces miR146a abundance, in turn altering the cellular transcriptome and increasing levels of its targets.