RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the promoter methylation status in the p16 gene in primary cervical cancer and to analyze the relationships between the clinicopathologic parameters and the methylation status of p16 gene. METHODS: Promoter methylation was evaluated by using a methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction in 78 cervical cancer tissues and 24 control non-neoplastic cervical tissues. Clinicopathologic parameters were obtained from medical records and the relationships between the discrete variables and the methylation status were evaluated. RESULTS: The frequency of the promoter methylation of p16 in cervical cancer was 57.0% (45/78). Primary cervical cancer had a significantly higher methylation frequency for p16 gene as compared to a control non-neoplastic cervix (p<0.0001). Higher stage cancers exhibited an increased promoter methylation frequency for p16 (45.6% in stage Ib, 58.3% in stage IIa, 88.2% in stage IIb, and 66.7% in stage IIIb, p=0.0125). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that promoter methylation of p16 is a frequent event in cervical carcinogenesis and has a potential clinical application as markers for cancer progression and prediction of prognosis.