Abstract
BackgroundDNA methylation in the SHOX2 locus was previously used to reliably detect lung cancer in a group of critical controls, including 'cytologically negative' samples with no visible tumor cell content, at a high specificity based on the analysis of bronchial lavage samples. This study aimed to investigate, if the methylation correlates with SHOX2 gene expression and/or copy number alterations. An amplification of the SHOX2 gene locus together with the observed tumor-specific hypermethylation might explain the good performance of this marker in bronchial lavage samples.MethodsSHOX2 expression, gene copy number and DNA methylation were determined in lung tumor tissues and matched morphologically normal adjacent tissues (NAT) from 55 lung cancer patients. Quantitative HeavyMethyl (HM) real-time PCR was used to detect SHOX2 DNA methylation levels. SHOX2 expression was assayed with quantitative real-time PCR, and copy numbers alterations were measured with conventional real-time PCR and array CGH.ResultsA hypermethylation of the SHOX2 locus in tumor tissue as compared to the matched NAT from the same patient was detected in 96% of tumors from a group of 55 lung cancer patients. This correlated highly significantly with the frequent occurrence of copy number amplification (p < 0.0001), while the expression of the SHOX2 gene showed no difference.ConclusionsFrequent gene amplification correlated with hypermethylation of the SHOX2 gene locus. This concerted effect qualifies SHOX2 DNA methylation as a biomarker for lung cancer diagnosis, especially when sensitive detection is needed, i.e. in bronchial lavage or blood samples.
Highlights
DNA methylation in the SHOX2 locus was previously used to reliably detect lung cancer in a group of critical controls, including ‘cytologically negative’ samples with no visible tumor cell content, at a high specificity based on the analysis of bronchial lavage samples
SHOX2 DNA methylation was shown to be a useful biomarker for detecting cancer patients at high specificity and sensitivity in a group of critical controls based on the analysis of bronchial lavage samples [14]
SHOX2 DNA methylation has previously been reported to be applicable for the diagnosis of lung cancer based on the analysis of bronchial lavage samples [14]
Summary
DNA methylation in the SHOX2 locus was previously used to reliably detect lung cancer in a group of critical controls, including ‘cytologically negative’ samples with no visible tumor cell content, at a high specificity based on the analysis of bronchial lavage samples. Patients suspected of having malignant lung disease usually undergo clinical investigation (workup) including CT-scanning of the thorax and bronchoscopy. The latter is preferentially applied to confirm a lung neoplasm by pathological assessment of tissue or a cytological specimen. SHOX2 DNA methylation was shown to be a useful biomarker for detecting cancer patients at high specificity and sensitivity in a group of critical controls based on the analysis of bronchial lavage samples [14]. Samples that were classified as ‘cytologically negative’ or ‘inconclusive’ due to no (or too few) visible tumor cell content could be identified as cancer-positive, based on their SHOX2 DNA methylation level
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