Prognostic significance of ITGA2 expression in cervical cancer

Integrin alpha 2 (ITGA2) exhibits elevated expression in multiple cancer types. Nevertheless, its expression in cervical squamous cell carcinoma and endocervical adenocarcinoma (CESC) and its correlation with patient prognosis remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to examine the clinical relevance of ITGA2 expression in CESC. The expression of ITGA2 in CESC was investigated using The Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis 2 databases. By comparing the ITGA2 median expression, all CESC samples were split into the two following groups: The ITGA2 high-expression and the ITGA2 low-expression groups. Subsequently, in order to determine the functional distinctions between the two groups, the following databases were used: Gene set enrichment analysis, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes and Gene Ontology. The expression levels of ITGA2 were examined in cervical cancer cells using real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and western blot analyses. Immunohistochemical staining was conducted to assess the expression levels of the ITGA2 protein in CESC and to examine the association of ITGA2 expression with the clinicopathological features and disease prognosis. According to the results obtained, patients with cervical cancer exhibited higher levels of ITGA2 expression. The overall survival and progression-free survival of patients with ITGA2-positive expression were considerably lower than those of patients with ITGA2-negative expression. The ITGA2 high-expression group demonstrated increased immune infiltration and elevated expression of immune checkpoint inhibitor targets. In conclusion, the data indicated that ITGA2 could be a novel tumor biomarker, which can be utilized for evaluating the prognosis and immunotherapy of patients with cervical cancer.