The successful translation of laboratory-based and pre-clinical findings in biology and molecular research to a clinical context plays a pivotal role in advancing cancer research. This critical process necessitates the modification and adaptation of experimental results to render them applicable in clinical settings. Ultimately, the effective translation of basic research findings to clinical practice is imperative for enhancing our comprehension of gynecologic cancers and devising efficacious therapeutic approaches to benefit patients [
102]. It was found that the expression levels of H19 were significantly elevated in atypical in situ breast lesions within a Lebanese population, surpassing those in non-malignant lesions. Notably, the highest levels of H19 were detected in malignant tissues. These compelling findings indicate that H19 has the potential to serve as a promising biomarker for the early detection of BC [
103]. The clinical significance of H19 levels has been investigated in plasma liquid biopsies, an emerging and dynamic field of research due to its non-invasive and easily accessible nature. Zhang et al., illustrated that the levels of H19 were markedly elevated in the serum of BC patients compared to healthy individuals. Additionally, increased levels of circulating H19 were found to be correlated with hormone receptor expression and lymph node metastasis. The study also determined a specificity of plasma H19 levels for BC exceeding 0.85, emphasizing its potential as a reliable biomarker for BC [
59]. It was shown that pre-therapeutic serum levels of H19 could serve as a predictive indicator of neoadjuvant treatment outcomes in BC patients. Notably, patients with lower levels of serum H19 were shown to have a higher probability of achieving a complete pathological response to the treatment. Interestingly, patients with elevated plasma H19 levels were found to exhibit the triple-negative BC subtype. These significant findings suggest that H19 holds promise as a valuable biomarker for predicting treatment response and identifying specific disease subtypes in BC patients [
104]. In the context of TNBC, increased levels of H19 have been linked to reduced overall survival and disease-free survival durations. Furthermore, a separate study unveiled an association between the rs2107425 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) located near H19 and decreased metastasis-free survival. Moreover, serum levels of H19 have been demonstrated to decline following mastectomy, indicating the potential clinical value of H19 in assessing the efficacy of surgical interventions [
32,
105]. Zhang et al. examined the relationship between genetic variations in the IGF2/H19 gene locus and the risk of developing epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) in a Chinese population. Their findings unveiled a noteworthy connection, indicating that three specific polymorphisms, namely rs3741206, rs2525885, and rs2839698, were significantly associated with an elevated susceptibility to EOC, particularly in patients aged 47 years and older. Moreover, within the rs2525885 subgroup, individuals possessing the TC + CC genotype demonstrated a higher likelihood of advanced FIGO stage, implying that this particular polymorphism may not only contribute to the initiation of cancer but also exert influence on the progression of tumors [
88]. Higher levels of H19 expression in tumor tissues among EOC patients were found to be linked with shorter overall survival, indicating its potential as a prognostic marker. Moreover, H19 expression was identified as a predictive factor for carboplatin resistance in EOC cells, suggesting its involvement in the development of chemoresistance and unfavorable treatment outcomes in this disease [
106]. The impact of IGF2/H19 gene polymorphisms on platinum resistance has also been investigated in EOC patients. A study by Zeng et al. revealed that individuals with the rs4244809 GG genotype exhibited increased sensitivity to platinum-based chemotherapy agents [
107]. Additionally, serum H19 has emerged as a potential biomarker for the diagnosis and monitoring of cervical cancer. Zhao et al. observed elevated levels of serum H19 in cervical cancer patients compared to healthy individuals, with a significant reduction after surgery. Serum H19 exhibited a specificity of nearly 95% in diagnosing cervical cancer, although its sensitivity was relatively low at 30.8%. Notably, plasma H19 levels did not show an association with tumor stage [
108]. H19 gene polymorphisms were found to have predictive value for clinicopathological features in cervical cancer patients. In a study involving a Tai population, patients with CC/CT genotypes in H19 rs2839698 demonstrated a lower risk of pelvic node metastasis compared to those with the TT genotype. Similarly, patients with AA/AG genotypes in rs3741219 exhibited a lower risk of pelvic lymph node metastasis, as well as lower rates of parametrium and vaginal invasion, compared to those with the GG genotype. However, no statistically significant differences in prognostic parameters were observed among the various SNP polymorphisms [
81]. According to Liu et al., both eutopic and ectopic endometrial tissues in endometriosis patients exhibited upregulated H19 expression, which positively correlated with disease recurrence, infertility, bilateral ovarian lesions, and the revised American Fertility Society (rAFS) stage. Their study demonstrated that high ectopic H19 expression had a sensitivity of 90.9% in predicting disease recurrence [
61]. However, in contrast to these findings, Szaflik et al. reported decreased levels of H19 expression in endometrial tissues of endometriosis patients compared to healthy controls. Furthermore, among endometriosis patients, there was an association between H19 expression and the rAFS score for reproductive medicine classification of endometriosis (rASRM) score [
100].
Despite the remarkable discoveries regarding the utilization of tissue/serum H19 levels in assessing the clinical characteristics of GC patients, there remains a need for further investigation to establish the expression level or specific single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of H19 as a suitable biomarker. One limitation is the current scarcity and heterogeneity of the studied SNPs, which necessitates their validation in larger populations. Additionally, certain studies have focused on restricted populations where the expression level of H19 could be influenced by various confounding factors. The role of H19 in endometriosis, as revealed by both clinical and basic studies, presents contradictory data, highlighting the need for additional confirmation. Furthermore, the availability of studies assessing sensitivity and specificity is limited, and they employ diverse sources such as tissue and serum samples. Moreover, some reported ratios exhibit low values and lack potential reliability, thereby making false results unavoidable without further confirmatory research.