Clinical and prognostic significance of Hec1 expression in patients with Cervical Cancer.

Objective: Hec1 is a component of the Ndc80 kinetochore complex and is frequently upregulated in various cancers. However, the clinical significance of Hec1 in cervical cancer remains largely unknown. This study aimed to investigate the expression patterns of Hec1 in cervical cancer and its relationship with the clinicopathological characteristics of patients diagnosed with the disease.

Methods: Immunohistochemistry was used to assess the expression of Hec1 in 136 cervical cancer tissue samples and 82 normal cervical tissue samples. The relationship between Hec1 protein expression and the clinicopathological characteristics of cervical cancer patients was analyzed using the Chi-square test. Additionally, the association between Hec1 protein expression and patient survival was examined using Kaplan-Meier survival curves. Independent risk factors affecting the prognosis of cervical cancer patients were analyzed using the Cox proportional hazards regression model.

Results: The positive expression rate of Hec1 protein in cervical cancer tissues was 83.82%, significantly higher than the 7.31% in normal cervical tissues. Compared to patients with negative Hec1 expression, those with positive expression exhibited significantly higher FIGO staging, increased lymph node metastasis, greater depth of tumor stromal infiltration, and larger tumor diameter. Multivariable analysis using the Cox proportional hazards regression model indicated that Hec1 positive expression was an independent risk factor for both overall survival (HR = 2.79, 95% CI: 1.65-4.05, p = 0.012) and progression-free survival (HR = 1.81, 95% CI: 1.22-3.18, p = 0.002) in cervical cancer patients. Kaplan-Meier survival curve analysis showed that patients with positive Hec1 expression experienced a lower overall survival (HR: 2.72, 95% CI: 1.15-4.52, p = 0.004) and progression-free survival (HR: 3.12, 95% CI: 1.62-5.03, p = 0.002) when compared to those with negative Hec1 expression.

Conclusion: Hec1 is significantly upregulated in cervical cancer tissues and associated with poor prognosis in cervical cancer patients. Therefore, Hec1 could be a novel biomarker, not only for the diagnosis and treatment evaluation of cervical cancer but also as an indicator for predicting the prognosis of cervical cancer patients.