Comprehensive Analysis of the Clinical Significance and Prognostic Value of the CBX Family in Cervical Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Endocervical Adenocarcinoma (CESC)

Abstract

Background: Cervical squamous cell carcinoma and endocervical adenocarcinoma (CESC) is the second most common type of cancer among gynecologic malignancies worldwide. Chromobox (CBX) family proteins are associated with the regulation of tumorigenesis, metastasis, and evolution of various cancers.Methods: The clinical features, expression levels, and prognostic value of CBXs in CESC were analyzed through several databases, including ONCOMINE, GEPIA, HPA, UALCAN, cBioPortal, Kaplan-Meier plotter, and Metascape.Results: We concluded that the expression level of CBX2/4/8 was upregulated, while the expression level of CBX6/7 was downregulated in CESC specimens. Immune infiltration analysis revealed that CBX1/2/3/4/5/6/8 proteins were downregulated in normal cervical tissues, and upregulated in CESC specimens. In contrast, CBX7 protein expression was significantly higher in normal adjacent cervical tissues and was not detected in CESC tissues. CBX1/3/6 mRNA expression was significantly correlated with the pathological stage of CESC. Prognostic analysis showed that patients with high CBX7 levels of CESC had a favorable prognosis.Conclusions: Our study indicated that CBX7 could be an attractive biomarker for the prognosis of CESC.