Expression and clinicopathological significance of KAI1, MACC1, and AGR2 in cervical squamous cell carcinoma

Colon cancer metastasis-associated protein 1 (MACC1) was initially identified in colorectal cancer and is linked to metastasis and prognosis in various malignant neoplasms. Anterior gradient homology protein 2 (AGR2) has emerged as a significant prognostic indicator for multiple cancers, while anti-cancer 1 (KAI1), recognized as a tumor metastasis suppressor gene, plays a critical role in cancer progression. Despite their individual associations with metastasis and prognosis across different cancer types, the interactions among MACC1, AGR2, and KAI1 specifically in cervical squamous cell carcinoma remain poorly understood. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the relationships between MACC1, AGR2, and KAI1 within the context of cervical squamous cell carcinoma, while also examining their correlations with clinicopathological features and overall survival (OS) outcomes in affected patients. Immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of MACC1, AGR2, and KAI1 in 106 cases of cervical squamous cell carcinoma. At the same time, the clinicopathological parameters and postoperative survival information were collected. In cervical squamous cell carcinoma, the detection rates of MACC1 and AGR2 were found to be significantly elevated, whereas the detection rate of KAI1 was notably reduced when compared to control tissues. Furthermore, the positive detection rates of MACC1 and AGR2 exhibited a positive correlation with tumor grade, tumor-node metastasis classification, and lymph node metastasis (LNM) stage, while demonstrating a negative correlation with OS. Conversely, the positive detection rate of KAI1 was negatively associated with tumor grade, tumor-node metastasis classification, and LNM stage. Patients within the KAI1 positive subgroup experienced a significantly extended OS in comparison to those in the KAI1 negative subgroup. Additionally, multivariate analysis indicated that the positive expression of MACC1, AGR2, and KAI1, alongside tumor stage and LNM stage, could serve as independent prognostic indicators for OS in individuals diagnosed with cervical squamous cell carcinoma. MACC1, AGR2, and KAI1 may represent potential metastatic and prognostic biomarkers, as well as promising therapeutic targets for squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix.