Abstract
PURPOSE: Cervical cancer is a common cancerous tumor in women that is prone to recurrence and metastasis. Recently, many people have explored the role of protocadherin 7 (PCDH7) in cancer and found that PCDH7 is abnormally expressed in many cancers. The purpose of this study is to explore the expression and mechanism of PCDH7 in cervical cancer and evaluate its clinical prognostic significance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The expression of PCDH7 in cervical cancer and cells was measured by qRT-PCR. The relationship between PCDH7 expression and the clinical prognosis was calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox regression analyses. Effects of PCDH7 on cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion were studied by MTT assay and transwell assays. RESULTS: The expression of PCDH7 in cervical cancer tissues and cell lines was notably downregulated compared with the corresponding control. Low PCDH7 expression was associated with a low survival rate. PCDH7 expression was correlated with lymph node metastasis, cell differentiation, and FIGO staging. PCDH7 can be used as an independent prognostic factor for cervical cancer. Up-regulation of PCDH7 significantly inhibited the proliferation ability, migration potential, and invasion capacity of cancer cells. CONCLUSION: PCDH7 may be used as a prognostic biomarker for cervical cancer patients.