Correlation between Aurora-A expression and the prognosis of cervical carcinoma patients.
OBJECTIVE
Aurora-A, a novel member of the serine/threonine kinase family, has been reported to be correlated with tumorigenesis. Our aim was to investigate whether Aurora-A expression correlates with clinicopathologic factors and prognosis of cervical carcinoma patients.


METHODS
Retrospective study.


METHODS
Seventy-four cervical carcinoma patients, between 1996 and 2002.


METHODS
Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and Western blot assays were performed to detect the expression of Aurora-A gene in cervical carcinoma cells and paired cancerous and corresponding noncancerous tissues from 74 cervical carcinoma patients. The expression of Aurora-A protein in tissues was also determined by immunohistochemistry. The relationships of Aurora-A expression with clinical factors and prognosis of patients were evaluated by statistical analysis.


RESULTS
The expression of Aurora-A mRNA and protein was significantly higher in cervical carcinoma cells than in normal cervical epithelial cell (p<0.05). The expression of Aurora-A mRNA in cancerous tissues was significantly higher than that in corresponding noncancerous tissues (p<0.001). The expression of Aurora-A protein was also increased in tumor tissues by immunochemistry. Aurora-A transcript expression was correlated with FIGO stage (p=0.018), tumor differentiation (p=0.014), parametrial invasion (p=0.024), lymphnode or hematogenous metastasis (p=0.005 or 0.019), but not other clinicopathological factors. Patients with high Aurora-A expression had a poorer disease-free survival and overall survival rates than patients with low Aurora-A expression. Multivariate analysis showed that high Aurora-A mRNA expression was an independent prognostic factor (risk ratio: 2.88; p=0.005).


CONCLUSIONS
Aurora-A might be used as a prognostic marker for cervical carcinoma patients.
Zhang
Wei
W
Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, PR China.
Wang
Jian
J
Liu
Shu-Juan
SJ
Hua
Wei
W
Xin
Xiao-Yan
XY
D064127:Aurora Kinases; D001483:Base Sequence; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D018450:Disease Progression; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D015971:Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic / Q000235:genetics*; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Q000235:genetics*; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D016019:Survival Analysis; D015854:Up-Regulation; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology
D012333:RNA, Messenger; D064127:Aurora Kinases; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases