An important issue in current oncological research is the prevention as well as early
detection of cancer. This includes also the difficulty to predict progression of early
or pre-cancerous lesions to invasive cancer. In this context, the characterization
and categorization of pre-neoplastic lesions of squamous cell carcinoma (cervical
intraepithelial neoplasia =CIN) is an important task with major clinical impact. Screening
programs are worldwide established with the aim to detect and eradicate such lesions
with the potential to develop untreated into cervical cancer. From the literature
it is known that around 5 % of CIN 2 and 12 % of CIN 3 cases will progress to cancer.
The use of molecular markers extracted from cervical mucus might help to identify
these high risk cases and to exclude unnecessary biopsies or surgical treatment.
Here we can show that miRNA analysis from cervical mucus of 49 patients allowed us
to distinguish between healthy patients and patients with a CIN 3. The miRNA panel
used in combination allowed for highly significant testing (p< 0,0001) of CIN 3 status.
In parallel, HPV status of the patients, the most important factor for the development
of cervical cancer, significantly correlated with the miRNA markers hsa-miR-26b-5p,
hsa-miR-191-5p and hsa-miR-143-3p, a subpanel of the original six miRNAs. We provide
here a proof-of-concept for a cervical mucus-based testing for pre-neoplastic stages
of cervical squamous cell carcinoma.
