Diagnostic and Prognostic Significance of Serum Phoenixin-14 and Phoenixin-20 Levels in Patients with Endometrial Cancer

AIM: This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic utility and prognostic significance of serum phoenixin-14 (PNX-14) and phoenixin-20 (PNX-20) levels in patients with endometrial cancer (EC). METHODS: A prospective case-control study was conducted, enrolling 52 patients with histologically confirmed EC and 45 healthy controls. Serum PNX-14 and PNX-20 concentrations were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Multivariable logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were performed. Associations between phoenixin levels and clinicopathological parameters were evaluated. RESULTS: Serum PNX-14 (80.70 ± 22.45 vs. 61.75 ± 18.73 pg/mL; p <0.0001) and PNX-20 (888.2 ± 284.9 vs. 646.7 ± 243.8 pg/mL; p < 0.0001) levels were significantly elevated in the EC group. Elevated PNX-14 was significantly associated with distant metastasis (p = 0.0463) and disease recurrence (p = 0.0020). Multivariable logistic regression identified PNX-14 as an independent predictor for EC (OR: 1.07; 95% CI: 1.03-1.12; p = 0.001). The combined PNX-14/PNX-20 model yielded a superior area under the curve of 0.844. CONCLUSION: Serum PNX-14 and PNX-20 are significantly elevated in EC and demonstrate diagnostic potential. PNX-14 may serve as a prognostic biomarker for metastasis and recurrence.