Notably, a Pearson correlation analysis showed that GDF15 expression positively correlated with the expression of p-AKT, p-Erk1/2 and C-myc in 16 cervical cancer samples (r2 = 0.54, P = 0.002; r2 = 0.27, P = 0.048; r2 = 0.42, P = 0.009, respectively, Fig. 7b-d). Here, MAPK3 is linked to cervical cancer.