Ataxia-telangiectasia-mutated (ATM) gene in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: promoter hypermethylation with clinical correlation in 100 cases.
The Ataxia-telangiectasia-mutated (ATM) gene product is a well-characterized tumor suppressor that plays a key role in maintenance of genomic stability. We have recently documented that the ATM promoter is a target for epigenetic silencing in cultured tumor cells. Here we show that aberrant methylation of the ATM promoter occurs in a significant percentage (25%) of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas. The presence of methylated ATM promoter shows a statistically significant correlation with an earlier age of initial diagnosis and decreased overall survival, particularly in early-stage tumors. These findings indicate that ATM promoter hypermethylation occurs in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, and this feature is a potentially useful prognostic marker in this tumor type.
Ai
Lingbao
L
Department of Pathology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and John L. McClellan Memorial Veterans' Hospital, Little Rock, Arkansas, USA.
Vo
Quynh N
QN
Zuo
Chunlai
C
Li
Liwen
L
Ling
Wenhua
W
Suen
James Y
JY
Hanna
Ehab
E
Brown
Kevin D
KD
Fan
Chun-Yang
CY
D000368:Aged; D001260:Ataxia Telangiectasia / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008745:Methylation; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D016019:Survival Analysis