Value of non-coding RNAs to assess lymph node status in cervical cancer

Cervical cancer (CC) is the fourth cancer in women and is the leading cause of cancer death in 42 countries. Lymph node metastasis is a determinant prognostic factor, as underlined in the latest FIGO classification. However, assessment of lymph node status remains difficult, despite the progress of imaging such as PET-CT and MRI. In the specific setting of CC, all data underlined the need for new biomarkers easily available to assess lymph node status. Previous studies have underlined the potential value of ncRNA expression in gynecological cancers. In this review, we aimed to evaluate the contribution of ncRNAs in tissue and biofluid samples to determine lymph node status in CC with potential impact on both surgical and adjuvant therapies. In tissue samples, our analysis found that there are arguments to support the role of ncRNAs in physiopathology, differential diagnosis from normal tissue, preinvasive and invasive tumors. In biofluids, despite small studies especially concerning miRNAs expression, promising data opens up new avenue to establish a non-invasive signature for lymph node status as well as a tool to predict response to neo- and adjuvant therapies, thus improving management algorithm of patients with CC.