Increased expression of stanniocalcin 2 is associated with tumor progression after radiotherapy in patients with cervical carcinoma.

AIM

This study aimed to analyze the expression, clinical significance of stanniocalcin 2 in cervical carcinoma patients who were treated with radiotherapy.

METHODS

Stanniocalcin 2 expression was determined by real-time PCR in 10 pairs of cervical cancer and adjacent normal cervical tissues. Tumor samples from 92 patients diagnosed from 2004 to 2007 were studied. All samples were obtained prior to treatment start. All cases were clinically diagnosed and pathologically confirmed to be cervical carcinoma without distant metastasis, and have been treated with radical radiation therapy and followed-up for five years. The samples were immunohistochemically analyzed for stanniocalcin 2 expression and survival analyses were performed.

RESULTS

The tumors of cervical cancer patients had significantly increased expression of stanniocalcin 2 at mRNA level compared with adjacent normal cervical tissues. High levels of stanniocalcin 2 expression was correlated with shorter overall survival, whereas low levels of stanniocalcin 2 expression was correlated with longer overall survival (P = 0.003) and progression free survival (P = 0.001) after radiotherapy. Moreover, high expression of stanniocalcin 2 was correlated with lymph node metastasis (P = 0.002).

CONCLUSION

Stanniocalcin 2 could be a useful marker for the prognosis of cervical cancer patients receiving radiotherapy. Stanniocalcin 2 may contribute to tumor development and radioresistance in cervical cancer.