title: The clinical and prognostic significance of CCN3 expression in patients with cervical cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  CCN3 plays important roles in growth, differentiation, angiogenesis and adhesion. Recently, the role of CCN3 in human carcinogenesis has become an area of great interest. However, little is known about the function of CCN3 in human cervical cancer.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to investigate the expression profile of CCN3 in cervical cancer and to assess its clinical significance.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, qRT-PCR, immunohistochemistry and Western blotting analysis were used in the detection of CCN3 mRNA and protein expression, both in cervical cancer and in corresponding normal tissue, respectively. The data was correlated with clinicopathological features. A survival analysis was performed to assess the prognostic significance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  CCN3 mRNA was overexpressed in cervical cancer tissue when compared with corresponding normal tissue, as was CCN3 protein. Upregulation of CCN3 was significantly associated with the stage of the disease (P = 0.017) and with lymph node involvement (P = 0.006). Using the Kaplan-Meier analysis, a comparison of survival curves of low vs. high expressers of CCN3 revealed a highly significant difference in human cervical cancer tissue (P = 0.021), which suggests that overexpression of CCN3 is associated with a poorer prognosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of the current study suggest that CCN3 may play an important role in cervical carcinogenesis and therefore may have potential as a biomarker for prognosis and as a therapeutic target in cervical cancer.
authors.affiliation: Wuxi Maternity and Child Health Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, China.
authors.forename: Ting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Chun
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Jingying
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xiang
authors.forename: Qingmin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Daozhen
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002584:Cervix Uteri / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D055514:Nephroblastoma Overexpressed Protein / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D011379:Prognosis; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000209:etiology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: C526319:CCN3 protein, human; D055514:Nephroblastoma Overexpressed Protein