Novel Serum Protein Biomarkers for Precancerous Cervical Lesions and Cervical Cancer

Cervical cancer is a health problem worldwide, although it is preventable and curable. Timely detection is crucial for eliminating this disease. Cytology is the official test for cervical cancer screening in most countries. Unfortunately, it has multiple barriers, e.g., its low sensitivity (47-55%) and its invasive nature. There is a need for alternative screening tests that can complement cytology's limitations. Molecular biomarkers can fill this gap. The present study aimed to identify candidate cervical cancer biomarkers in human sera. We selected five human proteins from a previously reported secretome of cervical cancer cell lines as candidate biomarkers. We tested these proteins in a cohort of 212 Mexican women, divided into four clinical groups: control, low and high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions, and cervical cancer. Immunodetection was done by Western blotting, ELISA, and/or surface plasmon resonance. Four of these five proteins were in higher abundance in sera of precancerous cervical lesions (GAPDH) or cervical cancer (EIF4A1, HNRNPA1, and FDPS) patients (p < 0.05). When tested individually, we found that these biomarkers were able to distinguish serum samples from healthy donors from those with cervical disease. Also, a lateral flow assay was developed for detecting FDPS in whole blood, paving the way for detecting these pathologies using rapid tests.