title: Sperm-associated antigen 9 is a biomarker for early cervical carcinoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cervical cancer is the second most common malignancy in women, with nearly half a million new cases diagnosed each year worldwide. The authors' recent studies have suggested an association of the cancer testis antigen sperm-associated antigen 9 (SPAG9) in ovarian carcinomas. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the clinical utility of SPAG9 expression and humoral immune response in cervical carcinomas.
  
  
  METHODS
  SPAG9 mRNA expression was assessed by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and in situ RNA hybridization. In addition, the authors investigated SPAG9 protein expression by immunohistochemistry and analyzed its association with various stages and grades of cervical cancer patients. They also tested the humoral immune response against SPAG9 in cervical cancer patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  RT-PCR, in situ RNA hybridization, and immunohistochemical analyses revealed that SPAG9 expression was significantly associated with tumor grades in 82% of early stage cervical cancer specimens. SPAG9 antibodies were detected in approximately 80% of cervical cancer patients, but not in healthy controls. Statistical analysis revealed that a significant proportion of early stage cancer patients with a high SPAG9 immunoreactivity score (IRS) exhibited significantly higher antibody response against SPAG9 compared with moderate SPAG9 IRSs, suggesting a close relation between SPAG9 protein expression and humoral immune response.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The current study findings revealed that in early stage cervical cancer, a substantial number of patients exhibited SPAG9 expression and generated SPAG9 antibodies, supporting its potential role in early detection and diagnosis in cervical cancer management. Furthermore, these findings provide leads for future development of noninvasive serologic biomarkers for the early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of cervical cancer.
authors.affiliation: Cancer Microarray, Genes and Proteins Laboratory, National Institute of Immunology, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: Manoj
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Garg
authors.forename: Deepika
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kanojia
authors.forename: Sudha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Salhan
authors.forename: Sushma
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Suri
authors.forename: Anju
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.forename: Nirmal Kumar
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Lohiya
authors.forename: Anil
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Suri