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Objective: Cervical cancer (CC) is one of the most common types of malignant female cancer, and its incidence and mortality are not optimistic. Protein panels can be a powerful prognostic factor for many types of cancer. The purpose of our study was to investigate a proteomic panel to predict survival of patients with common CC. Methods and results: The protein expression and clinicopathological data of CC were downloaded from The Cancer Proteome Atlas (TCPA) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database, respectively. We selected the prognosis-related proteins (PRPs) by univariate Cox regression analysis and found that the results of functional enrichment analysis were mainly related to apoptosis. We used Kaplan–Meier(K-M) analysis and multivariable Cox regression analysis further to screen PRPs to establish a prognostic model, including BCL2, SMAD3, and 4EBP1-pT70. The signature was verified to be independent predictors of OS by Cox regression analysis and the Area Under Curves. Nomogram and subgroup classification were established based on the signature to verify its clinical application. Furthermore, we looked for the co-expressed proteins of three-protein panel as potential prognostic proteins.Conclusion: A proteomic signature independently predicted OS of CC patients, and the predictive ability was better than the clinicopathological characteristics. This signature can help improve prediction for clinical outcome and provides new targets for CC treatment.

Cervical cancer (CC) is one of the most common types of malignant female cancer, and its incidence and mortality are not optimistic. Protein panels can be a powerful prognostic factor for many types of cancer. The purpose of our study was to investigate a proteomic panel to predict the survival of patients with common CC.The protein expression and clinicopathological data of CC were downloaded from The Cancer Proteome Atlas and The Cancer Genome Atlas database, respectively. We selected the prognosis-related proteins (PRPs) by univariate Cox regression analysis and found that the results of functional enrichment analysis were mainly related to apoptosis. We used Kaplan-Meier analysis and multivariable Cox regression analysis further to screen PRPs to establish a prognostic model, including BCL2, SMAD3, and 4EBP1-pT70. The signature was verified to be independent predictors of OS by Cox regression analysis and the area under curves. Nomogram and subgroup classification were established based on the signature to verify its clinical application. Furthermore, we looked for the co-expressed proteins of three-protein panel as potential prognostic proteins.A proteomic signature independently predicted OS of CC patients, and the predictive ability was better than the clinicopathological characteristics. This signature can help improve prediction for clinical outcome and provides new targets for CC treatment.

Xin-ping Yu,1 Lei Wang,1 Hai-yang Yu,2 Yu-wei Zou,3 Chang Wang,1 Jin-wen Jiao,1 Hao Hong,4 Shuai Zhang2 1Department of Gynecology, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong Province, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Radiology, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong Province, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Pathology, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong Province, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Biotechnology, Beijing Institute of Radiation Medicine, Beijing, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Shuai ZhangDepartment of Radiology, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, NO. 1677 Wutaishan Road, Huangdao District, Shandong Province 266000, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 18661804638Email zhangshuai19860302@163.comObjective: To investigate whether multidetector computed tomography (MDCT)-based radiomics features can discriminate between serous borderline ovarian tumors (SBOTs) and serous malignant ovarian tumors (SMOTs).Patients and Methods: Eighty patients with SBOTs and 102 patients with SMOTs, confirmed by pathology (training set: n = 127; validation set: n = 55) from December 2017 to June 2020, were enrolled in this study. The interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression were applied to select radiomics parameters derived from MDCT images on the arterial phase (AP), venous phase (VP), and equilibrium phase (EP). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis of each selected parameter was carried out. Heat maps were created to illustrate the distribution of the radiomics parameters. Three models incorporating selected radiomics parameters generated by support vector machine (SVM) classifiers in each phase were analyzed by ROC and compared using the DeLong test.Results: The most predictive features selected by ICC and LASSO regression between SBOTs and SMOTs included 9 radiomics parameters on AP, VP, and EP each. Three models on AP, VP, and EP incorporating the selected features generated by SVM classifiers produced AUCs of 0.80 (accuracy, 0.75; sensitivity, 0.74; specificity, 0.75), 0.86 (accuracy, 0.78; sensitivity, 0.80; specificity, 0.75), and 0.73 (accuracy, 0.69; sensitivity, 0.71; specificity, 0.67), respectively. There were no significant differences in the AUCs among the three models (AP vs. VP, P = 0.199; AP vs. EP, P = 0.260; VP vs. EP, P = 0.793).Conclusion: MDCT-based radiomics features could be used as biomarkers for the differentiation of SBOTs and SMOTs.Keywords: ovarian tumors, multidetector computed tomography; MDCT, radiomics

Ruijing Wang,1 Lun Liu,2 Jinwen Jiao,1 Dongmei Gao1 1Department of Gynecology, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao City, Shandong Province 266555, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Surgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao City, Shandong Province 266555, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Dongmei GaoDepartment of Gynecology, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao City, Shandong Province 266555, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86- 0532- 82919505Email gaodongmei1680@163.comPurpose: Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play major roles in the development of several cancers, including cervical cancer (CC). The purpose of the present study is to explore the regulatory mechanism of MIR4435-2HG on CC in vitro.Patients and Methods: Fifty-nine pairs of CC tissues and adjacent normal tissues were collected from 59 patients by resection. The expression of lncRNA MIR4435-2HG, microRNA (miR)-128-3p and Musashi 2 (MSI2) in CC tissues and cells was detected by quantitative reverse-transcription PCR (qRT-PCR). The viability of CC cells was detected by 3-(4, 5-Dimethyl-2-Thiazolyl)-2, 5-Diphenyl-2-H-Tetrazolium Bromide (MTT) assay. The ability of migration and invasion in CC cells was measured by wound healing assay and transwell invasion assay, respectively. Starbase software and Targetscan software were utilized to predict the relationship between miR-128 and MIR4435-2HG/MSI2, respectively. The dual-luciferase reporter assay was used to confirm these interactions.Results: LncRNA MIR4435-2HG expression was significantly up-regulated in CC tissues (P < 0.001) and cells (P < 0.01). Knockdown of MIR4435-2HG inhibited the proliferation, migration and invasion of CC cells (P < 0.01). MiR-128-3p was a target of MIR4435-2HG and was negatively modulated by MIR4435-2HG (P < 0.0001, r = − 0.6331). Up-regulation of miR-128-3p suppressed the proliferation, migration and invasion of CC cells (P < 0.01). In addition, MSI2 was the target gene of miR-128-3p and negatively regulated by miR-128-3p (P < 0.0001, r = − 0.4775). Both down-regulation of miR-128-3p and up-regulation of MSI2 reversed the inhibitory effects of MIR4435-2HG knockdown on the proliferation, migration and invasion of CC cells (P < 0.05).Conclusion: MIR4435-2HG knockdown suppresses the proliferation, migration and invasion of CC cells through regulating the miR-128-3p/MSI2 axis, providing a possible therapeutic strategy for CC.Keywords: cervical cancer, lncRNA MIR4435-2HG, miR-128-3p, MSI2

Introduction: We aimed to explore small interfering (si)RNA silencing of ribonucleotide reductase M2 (RRM2) gene combined with cisplatin for the treatment of human ovarian cancer in nude mice models of subcutaneous transplantation of tumor cells. Methods: After conventional cultivation of human ovarian cancer cell line SKOV3 in vitro, SKOV3 cells were injected into the right back of nude mice by subcutaneous injection to establish the subcutaneous tumor models. Twenty-four tumor-burdened rats were randomly divided into four groups (n=6): siRNA group, siRNA in combination with cisplatin group, cisplatin group, and control group. Intraperitoneal injection of cisplatin and subcutaneous injection of siRNA were performed weekly. Tumor volume was measured, and tumor growth inhibition rate was calculated. RRM2 expression at the mRNA and protein levels was detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry. Results: In the siRNA group, the tumor volume and tumor growth inhibition rate were 249.60±20.46 mm³ and 36.39%, respectively. The tumor growth inhibition rate and tumor volume were significantly different between the siRNA and control groups (p

Vaginal cancer is a rare gynecological malignancy, mainly treated by radiotherapy and surgery. However, the effect of neoadjuvant chemotherapy on patients with vaginal cancer has not been extensively evaluated. The aim of the present study was to assess the feasibility and efficacy of irinotecan and cisplatin in the management of patients with vaginal squamous cell cancer (SCC). Two patients with International Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecology (FIGO) stage I and one patient with FIGO stage II vaginal SCC were treated with irinotecan (240 mg) and cisplatin (100 mg) every 3–4 weeks. The effect of chemotherapy after 2–4 courses was assessed and the next step of treatment was determined according to the outcome. In the present study, all 3 patients had complete remission after 2–4 courses of chemotherapy. In case 1, the patient received a total of 6 courses of chemotherapy and had no recurrence after 45 months of follow-up. In case 2, the patient received 4 courses of chemotherapy and partial vaginal resection, and had no recurrence after 48 months of follow-up. In case 3, the patient underwent laparoscopic radical surgery and peritoneal vaginoplasty after 2 courses of chemotherapy, and no residual tumors were identified in the resected tissues on postoperative pathological examination. Effective neoadjuvant chemotherapy may decrease the size of the tumor, induce tumor regression, or even achieve pathologically-confirmed complete tumor eradication. Thus, neoadjuvant chemotherapy with irinotecan combined with cisplatin is a feasible treatment for patients with early-stage vaginal SCC. In the present study, all the patients achieved good therapeutic results following chemotherapy.

Background Cervical cancer (CC) is a common female cancer according to global cancer statistics. The current study was used to investigate the regulatory mechanism of circ_0000069 in CC. Methods The real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was used to assess circ_0000069, miR-4429, and zinc finger protein of the cerebellum 2 (ZIC2) expression in CC tissues and cells. Kaplan-Meier analysis was performed in CC patients to analyze the relationship between survival time and circ_0000069 expression. The proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle of CC cells were detected by 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazol-3-ium bromide (MTT), colony formation, and flow cytometry analyses, respectively. In addition, western blot assay was employed to show expression levels of apoptosis/cell cycle-related proteins, as well as ZIC2. The migration and invasion of CC cells were assessed by transwell analysis. Possible target miRNAs of circ_0000069, along with the interaction between ZIC2 and miR-4429 were confirmed by pull-down and dual-luciferase reporter assays. Eventually, the functional role of circ_0000069 in vivo was clarified with the xenograft experiment in nude mice. Results Circ_0000069 was overexpressed in CC tissues and cells than controls. Furthermore, the silencing of circ_0000069 inhibited proliferation, migration, and invasion while included apoptosis and cell cycle arrest of CC cells, which was overturned by downregulation of miR-4429. Importantly, ZIC2 was a direct target of miR-4429 in CC cells, and we further confirmed that overexpression of miR-4429 suppressed CC progress by decreasing ZIC2 expression in CC cells. Surely, silencing of circ_0000069 inhibited tumorigenesis in vivo. Conclusion Our current results suggested that circ_0000069 exerted its tumorigenic roles by regulation of proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle, migration, and invasion of CC cells, supporting that circ_0000069/miR-4429/ZIC2 axis may provide potential prognostic biomarkers for CC.

The long noncoding RNA plasmacytoma variant translocation 1 gene (LncRNA PVT1) has an important role in tumor occurrence and development, yet the role and underlying molecular mechanisms of this RNA in cervical cancer have not yet been elucidated. In the present study, three cervical cancer cell lines (HeLa, Ca Ski and SiHa) were used to verify how LncRNA PVT1 mediates cervical cancer development, and the H8 cell line was used as a control. A LncRNA PVT1 overexpression vector or small interfering RNAs targeting LncRNA PVT1 were transfected into cervical cancer cells to generate LncRNA PVT1 overexpression and silencing in these cells. LncRNA PVT1 overexpression accelerated the growth of cervical cancer cells by advancing the cell cycle and inhibiting cellular apoptosis; increases in Cyclin D1 (CCND1) mRNA and activated Bcl‑2 protein expression levels also supported this finding. Furthermore, NF‑κB activation and expression was increased by LncRNA PVT1 overexpression. In addition, NF‑κB activation or inhibition induced changes in cell viability, accompanied by changes in CCND1 and Bcl‑2 expression. Increases or decreases in microRNA‑16 (miR‑16) expression (using miR mimics and inhibitors) also corresponded to changes in LncRNA PVT1 expression, in vitro. miR‑16 mimics and inhibitor had opposite effects to those of NF‑κB activity, and miR‑16 was demonstrated to directly interact with the NF‑κB gene as measured using the dual‑luciferase assay. In summary, LncRNA PVT1 inhibits the effect of miR‑16, promoting the cell cycle and inhibiting cellular apoptosis of cervical cancer cells, potentially via the NF‑κB pathway. The data from the present study will contribute to the current knowledge surrounding the theoretical basis of cervical cancer and provide a new perspective for the treatment of cervical cancer.

Double primary endometrioid endometrial and ovarian carcinomas (DPEEOCs) are the most common multiple gynecological carcinomas. In recent years, gene sequential comparison analysis has strongly supported the opinion that sporadic double endometrioid endometrial and ovarian cancers (DEEOCs) are clonally related in both primary and metastatic tumors. In order to find more clonal evidence for DPEEOC, we investigated cancer stem cells (CSCs). SOX2 and OCT4 are two common factors in CSCs. MicroRNA (miRNA)-145, a small non-coding RNA, has effects in regulating gene expression and tumorigenesis in CSCs. The aim of this study was to assess the involvements of SOX2, OCT4, and miRNA-145 in the tumorigenesis of DPEEOCs. In our study, twenty DPEEOC patients were chosen. Metastatic DEEOCs and normal endometrial and ovarian tissues were also included. The expression of miRNA-145 was detected by real-time quantitative PCR. Immunohistochemical staining was used to measure the expression of OCT4 and SOX2. The results showed that miRNA-145 expression was lower in DPEEOC endometrial tissues and higher in DPEEOC ovarian tissues compared to the corresponding normal tissues. Both SOX2 and OCT4 were over-expressed in cancer tissues compared with that in normal tissues. MiRNA-145, SOX2, and OCT4 were expressed at similar levels in two cancer sites of a given DPEEOC or metastatic DEEOC sample. Besides, metastatic DEEOC sections expressed a higher level of SOX2 and OCT4 compared to the corresponding DPEEOC tissues. Together, these results support the clonality of DPEEOCs. Moreover, SOX2 and OCT4 may have some implication in DPEEOC and metastatic DEEOC diagnosis.