MiR-21-5p, miR-34a, and human telomerase RNA component as surrogate markers for cervical cancer progression

This study aimed to demonstrate the predictive value of miR-21-5p, miR-34a, and human telomerase RNA component (hTERC) in cervical cancer (CC) development and evaluated their potential possibility for future clinical applications.

Specimens were collected from the normal cervix, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) I, CIN II/III, cervical squamous cell carcinoma. Cytological evaluations and histopathologic examinations were conducted in all subjects, along with the assessment of human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA. The expression levels of the miR-21-5p and miR-34a were detected by RT-PCR. hTERC amplification was detected by dual-color interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Then miRNA, hTERC expressions were compared with the cytological and histologic examination.

Compared to that in the benign samples, the expression of miR-21-5p and miR-34a in abnormal samples was significantly upregulated and downregulated, gradually corresponding to the severity of cervical lesions (P < 0.05). There was a trend toward an increasing amplification of hTERC with the increasing severity of cervical lesions. miR-21-5p and miR-34a expression, and hTERC amplification were more specific than HPV positivity in differentiating low-grade cervical disorders from high-grade ones (P < 0.05).

MiR-21-5p upregulation, miR-34a downregulation, and hTERC amplification were associated with the aggressive progression of CC, which suggests that miR-21-5p, miR-34a and hTERC might serve as surrogate markers for CC progression and potential molecular targets for blockage of the development of CC.