MiR-21-5p, miR-34a, and human telomerase RNA component as surrogate markers for cervical cancer progression.

Objective: This study aimed to demonstrate the predictive value of miR-21-5p, miR-34a, and human telomerase RNA component (hTERC) in cervical cancer (CC) development and evaluated their potential possibility for future clinical applications.

Methods: Specimens were collected from the normal cervix, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) I, CIN II/III, cervical squamous cell carcinoma. Cytological evaluations and histopathologic examinations were conducted in all subjects, along with the assessment of human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA. The expression levels of the miR-21-5p and miR-34a were detected by RT-PCR. hTERC amplification was detected by dual-color interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Then miRNA, hTERC expressions were compared with the cytological and histologic examination.

Results: Compared to that in the benign samples, the expression of miR-21-5p and miR-34a in abnormal samples was significantly upregulated and downregulated, gradually corresponding to the severity of cervical lesions (P < 0.05). There was a trend toward an increasing amplification of hTERC with the increasing severity of cervical lesions. miR-21-5p and miR-34a expression, and hTERC amplification were more specific than HPV positivity in differentiating low-grade cervical disorders from high-grade ones (P < 0.05).

Conclusions: MiR-21-5p upregulation, miR-34a downregulation, and hTERC amplification were associated with the aggressive progression of CC, which suggests that miR-21-5p, miR-34a and hTERC might serve as surrogate markers for CC progression and potential molecular targets for blockage of the development of CC.