Abstract: Objective To investigate the relationship between expression of RNA-binding protein Musashi2 (MSI2) and clinical pathology significance of cervical squamous-cell carcinoma (CSCC). Methods Immunohistochemical staining was applied to detect the expression levels of MSI2 in 40 cases of normal uterine cervix, 60 cases of high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL) and 126 cases of CSCC. The correlation between MSI2 expression, clinicopathological factors and prognosis was analyzed. Western blot assay was used to detect the relative expression of MSI2 in 30 cases of CSCC and 30 cases of paracancerous cervical tissues. In combination with the follow-up data, the risk factors affecting the prognosis in patients with cervical squamous cell carcinoma were evaluated. Results The immunohistochemistry results showed that ere was an increasing tendency in positive rates of MSI2 expression in uterine cervix (7.50%), high-level squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSIL, 28.33%) and cervical squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC, 61.90%, P＜0.05). The positive rates of MSI2 were higher in CSCC with FIGOⅢ+Ⅳstage, lymph node metastasis, HPV16 infection and high expression of Ki67 (P＜ 0.05). The relative expression of MSI2 was significantly higher in cervical squamous cell carcinoma than that in adjacent cervical tissues（0.80±0.09 vs. 0.24±0.06, P＜0.05). Univariate survival analysis showed that the overall survival time (OS) was significantly lower in patients with MSI2 positive expression than that of patients with negative expression (Log-rank χ2= 6.413，P＜0.05). The patients with MSI2 negative expression, FIGO Ⅰ + Ⅱ stage and no lymph node metastasis showed higher quality of life (P＜0.05). Cox multivariate regression analysis showed that MSI2 positive expression, FIGOⅢ+Ⅳ stage and lymph node metastasis were risk factors for CSCC (P＜0.05). Conclusion High expression of MSI2 in cervical squamous-cell carcinoma is associated with tumor progression, metastasis and patient prognosis.

Key words: carcinoma, squamous cell, uterine cervical neoplasms, prognosis, survival analysis, RNA-binding proteins, RNA binding protein Musashi2