Abstract
Objective:This study aimed to investigate the diagnostic values of microRNA-21, microRNA-124, and macrophage colony-stimulating factor in patients with cervical cancer.Methods:A total of 68 patients with cervical cancer admitted in our hospital (cervical cancer group) and 57 healthy individuals undergoing physical examinations (healthy group, also control group) were enrolled in this study. The expression of serum microRNA-21 and microRNA-124 was detected by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The expression of serum macrophage colony-stimulating factor was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The diagnostic values of microRNA-21, microRNA-124, and macrophage colony-stimulating factor in cervical cancer were analyzed. The correlations between the expression of microRNA-21 and microRNA-124 with that of macrophage colony-stimulating factor were also analyzed.Results:Compared to those in the healthy group, patients in the cervical cancer group had a higher expression of microRNA-21 and macrophage colony-stimulating factor (P < .05) but lower expression of microRNA-124 (P < .05). The expression of microRNA-21, microRNA-124, and macrophage colony-stimulating factor in the patients correlated with the tumor size, tumor node metastasis (TNM) staging, tumor differentiation, and the presence or absence of lymph node metastasis and human papillomavirus infection (P < .05). According to the receiver operating characteristic curves, the area under the curve of microRNA-21 for diagnosing cervical cancer was 0.723, the specificity was 58.82%, and the sensitivity was 91.23%. The area under the curve of microRNA-124 was 0.766, the specificity was 94.12%, and the sensitivity was 57.89%. The area under the curve of macrophage colony-stimulating factor was 0.754, the specificity was 64.71%, and the sensitivity was 87.72%. Pearson correlation analysis showed that the expression of microRNA-21 positively correlated with that of macrophage colony-stimulating factor (r = 0.6825, P < .001), and the expression of microRNA-124 negatively correlated with that of macrophage colony-stimulating factor (r = −0.6476, P < .001).Conclusion:MicroRNA-21, microRNA-124, and macrophage colony-stimulating factor may be involved in the development and progression of cervical cancer. The detection of serum microRNA-21, microRNA-124, and macrophage colony-stimulating factor has good sensitivity and specificity in the diagnosis of cervical cancer.
Highlights
Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer after breast cancer.[1]
The area under the curve (AUC) of miR-124 was 0.766, the specificity was 94.12%, the sensitivity was 57.89%, and the cutoff value was 1.67
The AUC of macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) was 0.754, the specificity was 64.71%, the sensitivity was 87.72%, and the cutoff value was 382.70 pg/mL (Table 5, Figure 2)
Summary
Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer after breast cancer.[1]. Its mortality in the low- and middle-income countries is reported to be 18 times higher than that in the high-income countries.[2]. Most patients with cervical cancer are in the middle and advanced stages when treated, and they miss the best time window for treatment.[3] molecular biomarkers related to the early diagnosis of cervical cancer should be evaluated, and the regulatory mechanisms of molecular signals during the development and progression of the disease should be explored. Therapeutic targets and biomarkers that affect the development and progression should be discovered. All of these are important for improving the early diagnosis and treatment of the disease as well as for improving the prognosis of the disease.[4,5]
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