Retrospective Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2022. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Dec 26, 2022; 10(36): 13304-13312
Published online Dec 26, 2022. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v10.i36.13304
Serum Spondin-2 expression, tumor invasion, and antitumor immune response in patients with cervical cancer
Ling-Li Zhang, Song Lin, Yan Zhang, Dong-Mei Yao, Xin Du
Ling-Li Zhang, Dong-Mei Yao, Xin Du, Department of Gynecology, Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Hubei Province, Wuhan 430070, Hubei Province, China
Song Lin, Department of Surgery, Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Hubei Province, Wuhan 430070, Hubei Province, China
Yan Zhang, Department of Women’s Health, Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Hubei Province, Wuhan 430070, Hubei Province, China
Author contributions: Zhang LL wrote this article, Lin S provided experimental ideas, Yao DM and Du X performed data collection, and Lin S and Zhang Y performed data sorting and analysis.
Institutional review board statement: This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Hubei Province.
Informed consent statement: All study participants signed an informed consent form before participating in the study.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Data sharing statement: No additional data are available.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Song Lin, MM, Associate Chief Physician, Department of Surgery, Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Hubei Province, No. 745 Wu Luo Road, Hongshan District, Wuhan 430070, Hubei Province, China. linsongsl166@163.com
Received: October 19, 2022
Peer-review started: October 19, 2022
First decision: November 4, 2022
Revised: November 19, 2022
Accepted: November 28, 2022
Article in press: November 28, 2022
Published online: December 26, 2022
Processing time: 68 Days and 8.3 Hours
ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS
Research background

Cervical cancer is a gynecological malignancy that is common in middle-aged and older patients, with a high mortality rate; it seriously endangers the health of patients. Spondin-2 is an important molecular marker that is involved in innate and acquired immune responses. This study focused on the relationship between serum Spondin-2 expression, tumor invasion and infiltration, and immune response in patients with cervical cancer to provide a theoretical basis for clinical practice.

Research motivation

The motivation of this study was to investigate the differences in serum Spondin-2 expression levels in patients with cervical cancer, patients with benign uterine lesions, and healthy subjects, as well as the relationship between serum Spondin-2 Levels, tumor invasion and infiltration, and antitumor immune response.

Research objectives

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between serum Spondin-2 expression, tumor invasion and infiltration, and antitumor immune response in patients with cervical cancer.

Research methods

We detected Spondin-2 expression in the sera of patients with cervical cancer or benign uterine lesions and in those of healthy subjects. According to the threshold of Spondin-2 used in cervical cancer diagnosis, patients with cervical cancer were divided into high Spondin-2 and low Spondin-2 groups. Clinicopathological features, immune cytokine levels, and prognosis of patients with different levels of Spondin-2 expression were compared.

Research results

The serum Spondin-2 expression level was significantly higher in the cervical cancer group than in the benign and control groups. The proportion of patients with Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage III, nerve invasion, vascular invasion, and lymph node metastasis was higher in the high Spondin-2 group than in the low Spondin-2 group. The levels of interleukin (IL)-5 and IL-4 were higher in the high Spondin-2 group than in the low Spondin-2 group, whereas the levels of IL-2 and tumor necrosis factor-α were lower in the high Spondin-2 group than in the low Spondin-2 group. After 3 years of follow-up, progression-free survival and overall survival were significantly lower in the high Spondin-2 group than in the low Spondin-2 group.

Research conclusions

The expression of Spondin-2 in patients with cervical cancer was upregulated, and it was associated with tumor invasion and infiltration, antitumor immune response, and prognosis.

Research perspectives

Serum Spondin-2 Levels can be used as a new diagnostic marker and therapeutic target for cervical cancer, providing a theoretical basis for clinical diagnosis and disease evaluation.