Abstract
Objective: To investigate whether serum Tie-1 (sTie-1) is a valuable marker for predicting progression and prognosis of cervical cancer. Methods: Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect serum sTie-1 concentrations in 75 cervical cancer patients, 40 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) patients, and 55 healthy controls without cervical lesions, and sTie-1 levels were compared between the groups. Receiver operating characteristic curves was used to evaluate the diagnostic value of sTie-1. The relationship between sTie-1 concentrations in patients with cervical cancer and clinicopathological features and prognosis were analyzed, and the risk factors for postoperative recurrence were determined using univariate and multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression. Results: We found that sTie-1 concentrations gradually increased according to lesion severity (i.e., cancer vs. CIN; p < 0.05) and were significantly elevated in adenocarcinoma compared with healthy controls. sTie-1 levels strongly distinguished between cervical cancer patients and the healthy controls (area under the curve = 0.846; cut-off value = 1,882.64 pg/ml; sensitivity = 74.6%; specificity = 96.4%). Moreover, sTie-1 levels in cervical cancer patients were significantly associated with tumor size, advanced tumor stage, lymph node metastasis, and reduced 4-years progression-free survival. Cervical cancer patients with high sTie-1 concentrations had a 3.123-fold [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.087-8.971, p = 0.034] higher risk for tumor recurrence. Conclusions: Elevated sTie-1 levels in patients with cervical carcinoma were associated with tumor progression and poor prognosis, indicating that sTie-1 may be a valuable marker for predicting progression and prognosis of cervical cancer.