Low erythrocyte folate levels and increased risk of invasive cervical cancer in Chinese women

Abstract

Aim: To investigate the relationship between erythrocyte folate levels and cervical lesions.

Methods: Using a case-control method, patients with cervical lesions from September 2021 to February 2022 in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Jiangnan University Hospital were selected as study subjects. After cervical biopsy, 40 cases of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) CIN3 and 65 cases of cervical cancer as case group. The normal population of 120 cases attending the same period served as the control group. A competitive model was used to establish a chemiluminescence immunoassay (CLIA) for human erythrocyte folate. Erythrocyte folate levels of 225 subjects were determined.

Results: Serum folate levels were 7.82 ± 3.13, 8.04 ± 3.58, and 7.58 ± 4.30 ng/ml in the control, CIN3, and cervical cancer groups, with no statistically significant differences (p = 0.959). Erythrocyte folate levels were 307.27 ± 122.95, 306.52 ± 189.77, and 285.42 ± 125.74 ng/ml, respectively, with statistically significant differences (p = 0.03).

Conclusions: In a population of middle-aged Chinese women, the lower the erythrocyte folate value, the greater the risk of cervical cancer. In addition, serum folate levels were not associated with cervical lesions.

Keywords: cervical cancer; cervical intraepithelial neoplasia; erythrocyte folate; folic acid; serum folic acid.