Overexpression of MicroRNA 21 in Cervical Carcinoma with Lymph Node Metastasis

Abstract

Cervical carcinoma being the second common cancer in women in Indonesia, as well as in Bali, and mostly patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage with having metastases. The lymphatic pathway (lymph nodes) is the most frequent route for cervical cancer metastases. MicroRNA is a novel invention for predicting the biological behavior of cervical carcinoma and has the potential to act as the foundation for targeted therapy for cervical cancer. Several microRNA profiles, including microRNA 21, microRNA 126, and microRNA 143, were discovered to regulate the biological activity of cervical cancer. However, no studies have established a correlation between the expression of one of these microRNAs and the incidence of lymph node metastases in cervical cancer. This study aims to analyze whether overexpression of microRNA 21 is a risk factor for lymph node metastases in cervical cell carcinoma. Collected data was descriptively analyzed using the chi-square test with a p-value<0.05 and 95% CI. The results showed that microRNA 21 was significantly overexpressed in cervical carcinomas with lymph node metastases compared to those without lymph node metastases, representing a 19-fold increased risk for lymph node metastases. This can be influenced by the activity of microRNA 21 on several signaling pathways, such as Phosphatase and Tensin Homolog (PTEN), Programmed Cell Death Protein 4 (PDCD4), and Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 3 (TIMP3), that affect the progression, invasion capacity, and metastasis of tumor cells.