Up-regulated MicroRNA-181a induces carcinogenesis in Hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma by targeting E2F5

Background Accumulating evidence showed that microRNAs are involved in development and progression of multiple tumors. Recent studies have found that miR-181a were dysregulated in several types of cancers, however, the function of miR-181a in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unclear. In this study we assessed the potential association between miR-181a, HBV and HCC.