Association between miR Let-7g gene expression and the risk of cervical cancer in human papillomavirus-infected patients

Abstract

Background: The miR Let-7g expression has been investigated in several cancers but no report is available on cervical cancer patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between miR Let-7g expression and the risk of cervical cancer in human papillomavirus (HPV)-infected patients. Materials and Methods: In this case-control study, 20 paraffin-embedded tissue samples were collected from HPV-infected cervical cancer patients, 20 samples from patients with no infection and 20 healthy women referred to the Mirzakochak Khan Jangali Hospital in Tehran in 2015. Then, the miR Let-7g gene expression was measured by the real-time polymerase chain reaction method. Results: The results showed that miR Let-7g expression was decreased in HPV-infected and non-infected cervical cancer patients compared to the control group (P=0.0001and P=0.03, respectively). There was a significant decrease in miR Let-7g expression in HPV-infected patients compared to non-infected ones (P=0.0001). Also, a positive correlation was observed between decreased miR Let-7g expression and the stage of the disease, but no significant correlation was found between age of the patients and the level of gene expression in the studied population. Conclusion: According to the results of the present study, the miR Let-7g expression in cervical cancer patients is significantly decreased compared to the control group. Therefore, evaluation of the microRNA expression can be used as a valuable prognostic marker for early diagnosis of cervical cancer.

Keywords

• Cervical cancer
• Human papillomavirus
• MicroRNA Let7g gene expression
• Real-time PCR