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.

中文翻译：

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在早期检测宫颈上皮内瘤变中使用miRNA。

当前肿瘤学研究中的重要问题是癌症的预防和早期发现。这还包括难以预测早期或癌前病变发展为浸润性癌症的难度。在这种情况下，鳞状细胞癌的肿瘤前病变（宫颈上皮内瘤变= CIN）的表征和分类是一项具有重大临床影响的重要任务。全世界已经建立了筛查计划，目的是检测和根除可能发展为未经治疗的子宫颈癌的病变。从文献中知道，大约5％的CIN 2和12％的CIN 3病例将发展为癌症。从宫颈粘液中提取的分子标记物的使用可能有助于鉴定这些高危病例，并排除不必要的活检或手术治疗。在这里我们可以显示，通过对49位患者的宫颈粘液进行miRNA分析，我们可以区分健康患者和CIN 3患者。组合使用的miRNA面板可对CIN 3状态进行高度显着的检测（p <0,0001）。同时，患者的HPV状况是宫颈癌发展的最重要因素，与miRNA标记hsa-miR-26b-5p，hsa-miR-191-5p和hsa-miR-143-3p显着相关，最初的六个miRNA的一个子面板。我们在这里为宫颈鳞状细胞癌的癌前阶段基于宫颈粘液的测试提供概念验证。0001）的CIN 3状态。同时，患者的HPV状况是宫颈癌发展的最重要因素，与miRNA标记hsa-miR-26b-5p，hsa-miR-191-5p和hsa-miR-143-3p显着相关，最初的六个miRNA的一个子面板。我们在这里为宫颈鳞状细胞癌的癌前阶段的基于宫颈粘液的测试提供概念验证。0001）的CIN 3状态。同时，患者的HPV状况是宫颈癌发展的最重要因素，与miRNA标记hsa-miR-26b-5p，hsa-miR-191-5p和hsa-miR-143-3p显着相关，最初的六个miRNA的子面板。我们在这里为宫颈鳞状细胞癌的癌前阶段的基于宫颈粘液的测试提供概念验证。