Expression of beclin 1, an autophagy-related protein, in human cervical carcinoma and its clinical significance.

PURPOSE: To investigate the impact of beclin 1 on prognosis of cervical cancer, we determined the expression of beclin 1 in cervical cancer, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and normal cervical tissues.

METHODS

A total of 122 cases of cervical cancer, 35 cases with CIN and 31 cases with uterine fibroids were collected at the Cancer Center of Sun Yat University to determine the expression of beclin 1.

RESULTS

Beclin 1 positive rate in normal cervical tissues, CIN tissues and cervical cancers was 83.9%, 74.3% and 53.3%, respectively, and it was significantly different between the three groups (p < 0.01). Beclin 1 expression was negatively correlated with cervical cancer differentiation, lymph node metastasis, recurrence and death (p < 0.05). The negative expression is the risk factor affecting overall survival (p < 0.05) and progression-free survival (PFS) (p < 0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that beclin 1 negative expression was an independent risk factor of PFS time.

CONCLUSIONS

Beclin 1 may play a role in the occurrence and development of cervical cancer. Beclin 1 positive expression in patients indicates a better prognosis.