Abstract: Objective To investigate the expression of SOX2 in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and cervical cancer and
explore its association with the clinical features. Methods SOX2 expressions were examined using immunohistochemical
method in 10 normal cervical tissue specimens, 36 cervical intraepithelial neoplasia specimens (including 10 cases of grade I, 12
of grade II, and 14 grade III) and 40 cervical cancer specimens (including 21 cases of stage I and 19 of stage II). The correlation
between the immunohistochemical results and the clinical features of the patients was analyzed. Results SOX2 expression was
negative in normal cervical tissues, and was positive in 41.6% of CIN specimens (10.0% in CIN I, 41.7% in CIN II, and 64.3% in
CIN III) in 82.5% of cervical cancer specimens (78.2% in stage I and 88.2% in stage II). The patients with cervical cancer had a
significantly higher positivity rate of SOX2 than normal control group (P<0.05). The positivity rate of SOX2 increased with the
evolution of cervical disease. SOX2 protein expression was significantly correlated with the histological grade and lymph node
metastasis (P<0.05), but not with the age or clinical stage of the patients (P>0.05). Conclusion SOX2 expression may serve as a
useful indicator for evaluating metastasis and malignancy of cervical cancer.