The co-expression of CBX8 and PD-L1 and prognostic value in cervical cancer

Chromobox homolog 8 (CBX8) plays an important role in the occurrence and development of various tumors, and is closely related to the prognosis of patients with cancer. However, the occurrence, development, and prognostic value of CBX8 in cervical cancer have not been reported yet. In this study, immunohistochemistry was used to detect the expression of CBX8 in cervical cancer tissues and the corresponding normal tissues adjacent to the tumor. Furthermore, the relationship between CBX8 and programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression, clinicopathological characteristics, and prognosis of cervical cancer were explored, and the prognostic value of CBX8 in cervical cancer was clarified. In this study, the results of immunohistochemistry using tissue chips obtained from patients with cervical cancer showed that CBX8 was highly expressed in cervical cancer tissues, and its expression was proportional to the international federation of gynecology and obstetrics (FIGO) stage. Disease-free and overall survival of patients with high CBX8 expression in cervical cancer were significantly shorter than those of patients with low CBX8 expression. Thus, CBX8 was found to be an independent prognostic factor for patients with cervical cancer. In addition, CBX8 and PD-L1 co-expression model could better predict the prognosis of patients with cervical cancer, and its area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was similar to that of FIGO stage. CBX8 may be an independent prognostic factor for cervical cancer. Moreover, the CBX8 and PD-L1 co-expression model could predict the postoperative survival of patients with cervical cancer objectively and reliably, which will aid clinicians to shunt patients with cervical cancer based on the risk of death, develop a reasonable treatment plan, and provide personalized prognosis.