Aberrant promoter methylation profile in pleural fluid DNA and clinicopathological factors in patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

The aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic value of hypermethylation of tumor suppressor genes in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In samples from 34 lung patients with malignant pleural effusions, we used a methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction to detect aberrant hypermethylation of the promoters of the DNA repair gene O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT), p16INK4a, ras association domain family 1A (RASSF1A), apoptosis-related genes, death-associated protein kinase (DAPK), and retinoic acid receptor beta(RARbeta).There is no association between methylation status of five tumor suppressor genes including MGMT, p16INK4a, RASSF1A, DAPK and RARbeta in pleural fluid DNA and clinicopathological parameters including clinical outcome. Aberrant promoter methylation of tumor suppressor genes in pleural fluid DNA could not be a valuable prognostic marker of NSCLC patients with malignant pleural effusion.

Different risk relations with smoking for non-small-cell lung cancer: comparison of TP53 and TP73 genotypes.

BACKGROUND: The association between TP53/TP73 gene polymorphisms and tobacco smoking was evaluated with regard to risk of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS: A case-control study with 192 histologically confirmed NSCLC cases and 241 non-cancer controls was conducted. Subjects were genotyped for TP53 Arg72Pro and TP73 G4C14 to A4T14 polymorphisms by PCR-based methods. Risk and interactions were assessed as odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: The analyses according to TP53 genotypes for the risk of tobacco smoking illustrated that risk with heavy smoking was much higher for subjects with the TP53 ProPro genotype (OR: 16.4, 95% CI 1.77-151.7) as compared with those with TP53 ArgArg/ArgPro (3.36, 1.69-6.68). Similar analyses for TP73 genotypes did not show any differences for NSCLC risk. CONCLUSION: A risk relation of heavy smoking for the NSCLC is suggested with the TP53 but not the TP73 polymorphism.