Neuroendocrine small cell cervical carcinoma (SCCC) is an aggressive, rare form of cervical cancer, accounting for less than 3% of all cervical cancers [1]–[3]. SCCC is characterized by a high incidence of early nodal and distant metastases, resulting in a poorer prognosis than other subtypes of cervical cancer [4]–[6]. Previous studies have reported that 60–82% of SCCC patients have lymph-vascular space infiltration or pelvic lymph node metastasis at diagnosis [7]–[9]. Additionally, SCCC exhibits a propensity for rapid distant metastasis via the bloodstream to various sites including the liver, lung, brain, bone, pancreas and lymph nodes, which results in treatment failure in most cases [8]–[11]. Recurrences usually occur within 2 years, and most patients die as a result of early metastasis. It is important to identify the factors responsible for the survival of metastases in order to improve treatment strategies for SCCC. However, due the rarity and the long time period required to enroll a sufficient number of patients, most studies on SCCC are comprised of small series or case reports, making it difficult to determine the optimal therapy.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are noncoding RNAs 18 to 25 nucleotides in length [12]. The effects of miRNAs are mediated by binding to target mRNAs, to either suppress mRNA translation or degrade miRNA-bound mRNA [13]. Currently, more than several hundred unique mature human miRNAs are known, and many are involved in tumorigenesis, acting either as oncogenes [14] or tumor suppressors [15], [16]. Aberrant expression of miRNAs has also been linked to cancer [17], [18], suggesting that miRNAs potentially represent prognostic markers, and leading to the use of miRNA profiling for the diagnosis and prognosis of specific cancers. It has been shown that miRNAs are involved in every type of cancer examined to date; however, the expression of miRNAs in SCCC has not been investigated.

In this study, miRNA qPCR arrays were performed on 44 SCCC samples, as we hypothesized that investigation of miRNA profiles would provide more information on SCCC, an inadequately understood disease with a poor prognosis.