Downregulation of ANKRD22 and its prognostic significance in squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix: a bioinformatics analysis based on public datasets.

Background: Cervical cancer (CC) is the fourth most common cancer in women. Prognostic biomarkers for CC, particularly squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), are limited despite their clinical significance. ANKRD22, an ankyrin repeat domain protein, has been implicated in several cancers, but its role in CC remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to analyze the relationship between ANKRD22 expression and the prognosis of patients with CC, especially SCC.

Methods: Gene expression profiles were obtained from GEO datasets (GSE63514, GSE6791), and RNA sequencing and clinical data were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas. Clinical characteristics included age, Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics 2009 stage, histological grade, lympho-vascular space invasion, and treatment response. Patients were stratified by ANKRD22 expression, and survival analyses were conducted using Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression models.

Results: ANKRD22 expression was significantly lower in CC tissues than in normal tissues. In SCC patients, the lower ANKRD22 expression was associated with worse overall survival (OS) [P=0.008, hazard ratio (HR) =0.494, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.290-0.840] and progression-free survival (PFS) (P=0.01, HR =0.510, 95% CI: 0.295-0.880). Multivariate Cox regression analysis identified ANKRD22 downregulation as an independent prognostic factor. Lower expression was also correlated with higher histological grade.

Conclusions: ANKRD22 downregulation is associated with poor prognosis in SCC of the cervix. While these findings suggest prognostic relevance, further experimental studies are necessary to validate ANKRD22's clinical utility.