Serum Tie-1 is a Valuable Marker for Predicting the Progression and Prognosis of Cervical Cancer

Abstract

Objective: To investigate whether serum Tie-1 (sTie-1) is a valuable marker for predicting progression and prognosis of cervical cancer.Methods: Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect serum sTie-1 concentrations in 75 cervical cancer patients, 40 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) patients, and 55 healthy controls without cervical lesions, and sTie-1 levels were compared between the groups. Receiver operating characteristic curves was used to evaluate the diagnostic value of sTie-1. The relationship between sTie-1 concentrations in patients with cervical cancer and clinicopathological features and prognosis were analyzed, and the risk factors for postoperative recurrence were determined using univariate and multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression.Results: We found that sTie-1 concentrations gradually increased according to lesion severity (i.e., cancer vs. CIN; p < 0.05) and were significantly elevated in adenocarcinoma compared with healthy controls. sTie-1 levels strongly distinguished between cervical cancer patients and the healthy controls (area under the curve = 0.846; cut-off value = 1,882.64 pg/ml; sensitivity = 74.6%; specificity = 96.4%). Moreover, sTie-1 levels in cervical cancer patients were significantly associated with tumor size, advanced tumor stage, lymph node metastasis, and reduced 4-years progression-free survival. Cervical cancer patients with high sTie-1 concentrations had a 3.123-fold [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.087–8.971, p = 0.034] higher risk for tumor recurrence.Conclusions: Elevated sTie-1 levels in patients with cervical carcinoma were associated with tumor progression and poor prognosis, indicating that sTie-1 may be a valuable marker for predicting progression and prognosis of cervical cancer.