Aims To explore the expression of secretagogin (SCGN) in neuroendocrine carcinoma of the uterine cervix and analyse its relationship with clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis.

Methods From January 2010 to December 2017, 44 patients with cervical neuroendocrine carcinoma undergoing surgery were included in the study group, and 55 patients with cervical non-neuroendocrine carcinoma (including 30 cases of cervical squamous cell carcinoma and 25 cases of cervical adenocarcinoma) undergoing surgery were included in the control group. Immunohistochemical staining of SCGN was performed in both groups and compared with three common neuroendocrine markers, chromogranin A, synaptophysin (Syn) and CD56 in the study group. Detailed clinicopathological data of the two groups were analysed, and the patient survival in the study group was followed up.

Results The positive expression of SCGN in cervical neuroendocrine carcinoma, cervical adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma was 65.9% (29/44), 8% (2/25) and 0%, respectively. The positive expression of SCGN in cervical neuroendocrine carcinoma was significantly higher than that in cervical adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma (χ²=44.5, p<0.001). There were no statistical differences among the positive expression of SCGN and three common neuroendocrine markers (p>0.05 for all). The intensity of SCGN staining in patients with cervical neuroendocrine carcinoma with lymph node metastasis was significantly higher than that in patients without lymph node metastasis (p=0.020). However, there was no significant association between SCGN expression and survival among patients with cervical neuroendocrine carcinoma (p=0.633).

Conclusions SCGN is a new neuroendocrine marker for cervical neuroendocrine carcinoma, whose expression correlates with lymph node metastasis.