Long noncoding RNA PVT1 as a novel serum biomarker for detection of cervical cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate long noncoding RNA PVT1 expression in the serum of cervical cancer patients, and to evaluate serum PVT1 level as a diagnostic biomarker for cervical cancer.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eighty-eight cervical cancer patients, 64 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia patients, 25 breast cancer patients, 25 ovarian cancer patients, and 111 healthy control subjects were enrolled into this study. PVT1 serum level in these participants and PVT1 expression in 20 pairs of cervical cancer tissues and adjacent paired normal tissues was measured by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. The diagnostic values of serum PVT1 were evaluated by receiver operating characteristic curves analysis.

RESULTS: Serum PVT1 level is significantly increased in cervical cancer patients and correlated with tumor size, clinical stage, and lymph node metastasis of cervical cancer. Serum PVT1 could accurately discriminate cervical cancer patients from cervical intraepithelial neoplasia patients and healthy control subjects, and also discriminate early stage cervical cancer patients from healthy control subjects. But serum PVT1 level is not changed in breast cancer and ovarian cancer patients. Furthermore, serum PVT1 level is positively correlated with tissue PVT1 expression, and could indicate cervical cancer dynamics.

CONCLUSIONS: Long noncoding RNA PVT1 may be a novel noninvasive biomarker for early diagnosis of cervical cancer.