Zhang Zhanfeng, Xie Chuanzhen, Zhao Rong, Wang Shuai, Xie Zaichun, Pang Zhiyu, Xu Qian, Zhang Peng, Liu Yuanrui
Clinical Laboratory, The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510405, P. R. China.
Department of Laboratory Medicine, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510515, P. R. China.
BMC Cancer. 2024 Dec 27;24(1):1582. doi: 10.1186/s12885-024-13355-7.
This study aimed to investigate the potential utility of Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) signaling cell detection in the early diagnosis of cervical lesions.
Enrichment of cervical epithelial cells was carried out using a calibrated membrane with 8-μm diameter pores. RNA-in situ hybridization (RNA-ISH) was employed to detect and characterize EMT cells utilizing specific EMT markers.
EMT cells were successfully identified in cervical samples, while none were detected in the healthy control group. Meanwhile, the number of EMT cells is not correlated with either the presence or type of HPV infection. Comparison of diagnostic tests showed the area under the curve (AUC) for HPV DNA tests, Thinprep cytologic tests (TCT), colposcopy and EMT signaling tests to be 0.758, 0.800, 0.889 and 0.992, respectively. A higher detection rate of EMT cells was observed in patients with cervical lesions aged ≥ 45 compared to those aged < 45 years (P < 0.05). In cervical cancer patients, a significantly greater number of EMT cells were found in FIGO stage II than in FIGO stage I (P < 0.05). Notably, epithelial-type EMT cells were detected at significantly higher rates in patients with high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) and cervical cancer compared to those with low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL).
EMT markers demonstrate potential as effective tools for detecting cervical lesions.
本研究旨在探讨上皮-间质转化（EMT）信号细胞检测在宫颈病变早期诊断中的潜在应用价值。
使用孔径为8μm的校准膜对宫颈上皮细胞进行富集。采用RNA原位杂交（RNA-ISH）技术，利用特异性EMT标志物检测并鉴定EMT细胞。
在宫颈样本中成功鉴定出EMT细胞，而在健康对照组中未检测到。同时，EMT细胞数量与HPV感染的存在与否或类型均无相关性。诊断试验比较显示，HPV DNA检测、薄层液基细胞学检测（TCT）、阴道镜检查和EMT信号检测的曲线下面积（AUC）分别为0.758、0.800、0.889和0.992。与年龄<45岁的宫颈病变患者相比，年龄≥45岁的患者中EMT细胞的检出率更高（P<0.05）。在宫颈癌患者中，国际妇产科联盟（FIGO）II期患者的EMT细胞数量明显多于FIGO I期患者（P<0.05）。值得注意的是，与低级别鳞状上皮内病变（LSIL）患者相比，高级别鳞状上皮内病变（HSIL）和宫颈癌患者中上皮型EMT细胞的检出率明显更高。
EMT标志物显示出作为检测宫颈病变有效工具的潜力。
