Aberrant promoter hypermethylation of RAR-β in endometrial carcinoma- an Indian study.

Endometrial cancer is the seventh most common cancer in women worldwide with and age standardized rate of 8.4 per 100,000 women. Epigenetic alterations such as promoter hypermethylation of TSGs are known to be early events in carcinogenesis. The aim of the present study, we assessed the aberrant promoter hypermethylation pattern of RAR-β in 78 endometrial cancer samples. Methods: DNA was isolated from endometrial carcinoma samples and normal tissues and aberrant promoter hypermethylation was assessed using nested and methylation specific PCR. Chi square test was used for statistical analysis and a p-value<0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Results: 40 of the 78 (51.28%) endometrial carcinoma sample showed aberrant hypermethylation of RAR-β gene. Methylation status in each histological subtype, grade and stage of the disease was also assessed. Conclusion: Aberrant hypermethylation is an important early epigenetic alteration that occurs during tumorigenesis. The Data shown here reports that promoter hypermethylation of RAR-β occurs in endometrial carcinoma and therefore could be used as a potential marker for early diagnosis and prognosis of the disease

Assessment of Promoter hypermethylation of APC and BRCA1 in endometrial cancer.

Introduction: Endometrial cancer is one of the most common cancers in women worldwide. The underlying cause of endometrial tumorigenesis remains elusive. Several genetic and epigenetic alterations are known to be involved in the carcinogenesis of endometrial carcinoma. One important and early epigenetic alteration that is attributed to endometrial carcinoma is the aberrant promoter hypermethylation of gene promoters. In this study, we have assessed the aberrant promoter hypermethylation of APC and BRCA1 in 78 endometrial cancer samples. Methods: Histologically confirmed tumour tissue samples were obtained post-surgery and DNA was extracted. The DNA was subjected to sodium bisulfite conversion and used as a template for a polymerase chain reaction. The PCR was performed using a nested PCR followed by methylation specific PCR. Results: A 33.33% and 46.15% methylation frequency was observed for APC and BRCA1 genes respectively. A higher percentage of methylation was observed in stage IV for APC (66.66%) and in stage II for BRCA1 (88.88%). Conclusion: Aberrant promoter hypermethylation is an early event in endometrial carcinoma and can serve as a useful molecular marker for diagnosis and prognosis of the disease along with existing screening modalities