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MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNA that target protein-coding mRNAs at the post-transcriptional level. The aim of this study was to define the role of miR-492 in cervical squamous cell carcinomas. After microRNA profiling and comparison, we firstly detected miR-492 expression in 104 tumor tissues biopsies derived from advanced staged (FIGO IIB-IIIB) cervical squamous cell carcinoma patients before receiving concomitant chemoradiotherapy and found miR-492 expression was significantly higher in the specimens that were sensitive to concomitant chemoradiotherapy, as compared with insensitive cancer specimens (P < 0.05). Moreover, higher expression of miR-492 was associated with pelvic lymph node metastasis (LNM) (P < 0.05). Further studies illustrated ectopic miR-492 overexpression in SiHa cells promoted cell proliferation, migration, and enhanced the sensitivity of cervical cancer cells to irradiation by promoting apoptosis. In addition, we identified TIMP2 as a direct miR-492 target, which has been shown to be critical in modulating cancer cell migration and invasion. We also confirmed that miR-492 expression levels in positive pelvic LNM were much higher than negative LNM and miR-492 played a vital role in pelvic lymph node metastasis via regulating miR-492/TIMP2/MMP10 axis. In particular, miR-492 was correlated with prognosis in the subgroup of patients with negative pelvic LNM (P < 0.05) and had a promising value in predicting treatment response in the subgroup of patients with positive pelvic LNM (an AUC of 85%, 75.00% specificity, and 95.24% sensitivity). Taken together, the results suggested that miR-492 may serve as a potential biomarker for cervical cancer treatment and prognosis.

Primary amelanotic melanoma of the female genital tract usually has a poor outcome as a consequence of delayed diagnosis and lack of standardized treatment. We report two cases of this disease originating in the vulva and uterine cervix, respectively. The related literature is reviewed. Compared with amelanotic melanoma of the female genital tract of the vulva, disease of the cervix is more likely to be misdiagnosed, identified at a later stage, and have a poorer outcome.

Objectives: To develop nomograms to assess prognostic factors for 5-year overall survival (OS) and 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) in locally advanced cervical squamous cell carcinoma (LACSC).Methods: Overall, 618 patients with LACSC were included in this retrospective analysis. Nomograms for 5-year OS and PFS were developed based on Cox proportional hazards regression models. Concordance index (C-index) and calibration curves were used to define the predictive and discriminatory capacity of the nomogram. A comparison between the nomogram and the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) staging system was conducted using time-dependent receiver operating characteristic (tROC) and area under the curve (tAUC).Results: Multivariate analysis identified several prognostic factors for OS including squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC-Ag), body mass index (BMI), tumor size, pelvic wall involvement, and para-aortic lymph node metastasis (PALNM). Prognostic factors for PFS included BMI, hemoglobin (HGB), tumor size, pelvic wall involvement, pelvic lymph node metastasis (PLNM) and PALNM. Following bootstrap correction, the C-index of OS and PFS was 0.713 and 0.686, respectively. These nomograms showed superior performance compared with the FIGO 2009 and 2018 staging schema.Conclusions: Nomograms were developed to identify prognostic factors for 5-year OS and PFS in patients with LACSC. These nomograms showed good prognostication and are more comprehensive in predicting survival outcomes than existing staging criteria.