Expression of integrin β1 and its significance in squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix.

The aim of the present study was to examine the expression of integrin β1 in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the cervix and its association with the clinicopathological features of patients. The expression of integrin β1 in 87 SCC cervical tissues and 32 normal cervical tissues was detected using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, western blot analysis and the immunohistochemical streptavidin-peroxidase method. Integrin β1 expression was greater in SCC cervical tissues compared with that in normal cervical tissues (P<0.05), and its mean expression level in the SCC cervical tissues was also markedly higher compared with that in the normal cervical tissues (P<0.05). In terms of the association between the expression of integrin β1 with clinicopathological features, patients with stage IIA SCC had higher integrin β1 positive rates compared with patients with stage I SCC (P<0.05). The integrin β1 positive rates in SCC tissues with histological grade 3 were also significantly higher than that in the SCC tissues with histological grade 1 (P<0.05). Furthermore, patients with cervical SCC with lymph node metastasis showed increased integrin β1 positive expression compared with those without lymph node metastasis (P<0.05). In conclusion, the expression of integrin β1 protein in cervical SCC tissues was significantly higher than that in the normal cervical tissues, and it increased with the clinical stage and the degree of malignancy.