Correlation of serum STMN1 and Cath-D levels with the invasive growth of cervical cancer

Objective: To study the correlation of serum stathmin 1 (STMN1) and cathepsin D (Cath-D) levels with the invasive growth of cervical cancer. Methods: The patients with cervical cancer and those with uterine fibroids who underwent surgical resection in the Second People’s Hospital of Yichang between January 2013 and November 2017 were selected and enrolled in the malignant group and the benign group of the study respectively; the serum was collected before operation to detect the contents of STMN1 and Cath-D; the cervical cancer lesion tissues were collected from the malignant group and the normal cervical tissues were collected from the benign group to measure the expression of STMN1, Cath-D, invasion genes and invasion signal molecules. Results: STMN1 and Cath-D contents in serum as well as STMN1 and Cath-D mRNA expression in lesion tissue of malignant group were significantly higher than those of benign group, and serum STMN1 and Cath-D contents of malignant group were positively correlated with STMN1 and Cath-D mRNA expression in lesion tissue; RACK1, Twist, MMP9, mTOR, S6K1, Wnt and β-catenin mRNA expression in lesion tissue of malignant group were significantly higher than those of benign group whereas E-cadherin, GRIM19 and GSK-3β mRNA expression were significantly lower than those of benign group, and serum STMN1 and Cath-D contents of malignant group were positively correlated with RACK1, Twist, MMP9, mTOR, S6K1, Wnt and β-catenin mRNA expression in lesion tissue, and negatively correlated with E-cadherin, GRIM19 and GSK-3β mRNA expression. Conclusion: The abnormally elevated STMN1 and Cath-D in serum of patients with cervical cancer can evaluate the invasive growth of the lesion.