Diagnostic Efficacy of Serum PDCD4 and HSP70 Levels for Lymph Node Metastasis in Early Cervical Cancer
To investigate the diagnostic value of serum programmed cell death protein 4 (PDCD4) and heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) levels in detecting lymph node metastasis (LNM) in patients with early-stage cervical cancer (International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics [FIGO] stages I to IIA). A comparative study. Place and Duration of the Study: Department of Gynaecology, Urumqi Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Xinjiang, China, from January 2021 to December 2023. One hundred and thirty-two early-stage cervical cancer patients were divided into two subgroups: the LNM subgroup (25 cases) and the Non-LNM subgroup (107 cases). Additionally, 60 healthy women were included as the Control group. Serum PDCD4 and HSP70 levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify risk factors for LNM. Serum PDCD4 levels were significantly lower in the Cervical cancer group compared to the Control group (1.31 ng/mL vs. 3.27 ng/Ml; p <0.001), and HSP70 levels were significantly higher (85.20 ± 14.88 ng/mL vs. 39.22 ± 10.03 ng/Ml; p <0.001). The incidence of LNM among the 132 early-stage cervical cancer cases was 18.94% (25/132). The LNM subgroup exhibited lower serum PDCD4 levels (1.31 ng/mL, IQR 0.59-2.14) and higher HSP70 levels (85.20 ± 14.88 ng/mL) compared to the Non-LNM subgroup (PDCD4: 3.27 ng/mL, IQR 1.78-5.37; HSP70: 39.22 ± 10.03 ng/mL; both p <0.05). The multivariate logistic regression analysis identified advanced stromal infiltration depth (≥1/2 cervical muscle wall, OR 4.288, 95% CI: 1.155-15.922) and elevated serum HSP70 levels (OR 1.093, 95% CI 1.031-1.158) as independent risk factors for LNM, while elevated serum PDCD4 levels were found to be an independent protective factor (OR 0.245, 95% CI: 0.091-0.656). The combined detection of serum PDCD4 and HSP70 demonstrated a sensitivity of 88.00%, specificity of 84.11%, and a Youden index of 0.721 (AUC 0.926, 95% CI: 0.867-0.964). Reduced serum PDCD4 levels and elevated HSP70 levels were significantly correlated with LNM in early-stage cervical cancer. The combination of serum PDCD4 and HSP70 levels demonstrated high diagnostic efficacy for LNM in early- stage cervical cancer. Early-stage cervical cancer, Programmed cell death protein 4, Heat shock protein 70, Lymph node metastasis, Diagnostic efficiency.