ESTIMATING PREVALENCE OF SOX-2 EXPRESSION IN CERVICAL SQUAMOUS CARCINOMAS – A HOSPITAL BASED CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY

Abstract

Background and objectives: Cervical cancer is the most common cancer (6 -29 % of all cancers) in females of developing countries like India. In the year 2018, there were 569,847 new cases of cervical cancer and 311,365 deaths worldwide making it the most common gynaecological malignancy worldwide. In the same year in India, there were 96,922 new cases of cervical cancer and 60,078 deaths. According to the WHO criteria the three categories of invasive carcinomas are squamous cell carcinomas, adenocarcinomas and others. There are various types of squamous cell carcinoma like keratinizing, non-keratinizing, papillary, etc. all of which are included in the study. Squamous cell carcinoma is the cancer of the exo-cervix presenting as an ulcerated or exophytic lesion caused by HPV, smoking, low socioeconomic environment. HPV is considered to be responsible for as much as 90% of cervical carcinomas. There is a general paucity of studies describing correlation of SOX-2 and histological grading in cervix. Thus, the aim of this study is to solve this discrepancy and evaluate the role of Sox-2 in grading the tumour and as an adjuvant prognostic marker.