title: Gene methylation in pleural mesothelioma: correlations with clinico-pathological features and patient's follow-up.
abstract: Methylation of tumor suppressor genes is among the most frequent alterations in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). The aim of this study was to analyze the promoter methylation status of four tumor suppressor genes, p15(INK4B), p16(INK4A), RASSF1A and NORE1A in MPM. Samples of 79 MPM patients were analyzed using a methylation-specific PCR method. Associations between methylation status, clinico-pathological parameters (including proliferation index) and overall survival (OS) were examined. The analysis documented methylation in 30 cases (38%). The methylation frequency for individual genes was 19% for p15(INK4B) (n=15), 11.4% for p16(INK4A) (n=9), 20.2% for RASSF1A (n=16) and 5.1% for Nore1A (n=4). In the whole series methylation was associated to an increased proliferation index (P=0.05). In patients treated with extrapleural pneumonectomy, methylated MPM showed a trend to a poorer OS in comparison to unmethylated cases (median OS 16 months vs. 35 months, P=0.06, HR=2.01, 95% CI 0.95-4.30). In the overall population, methylation did not correlate to patient outcome but a trend to an improved survival was detectable in ummethylated MPM treated with extrapleural pneumonectomy. This result suggests the need to select homogeneously treated and staged patients with MPM to address whether their methylation profile may impact on patient's survival.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Genetics Laboratory, Istituto Clinico Humanitas IRCCS, Via Manzoni 56, 20089 Rozzano, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Annarita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Destro
authors.forename: Giovanni L
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Ceresoli
authors.forename: Ekaterina
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Baryshnikova
authors.forename: Isabella
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Garassino
authors.forename: Paolo A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Zucali
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: De Vincenzo
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bianchi
authors.forename: Emanuela
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Morenghi
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Testori
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alloisio
authors.forename: Armando
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Santoro
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Roncalli
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D050762:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p15 / Q000235:genetics; D019941:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16 / Q000235:genetics; D019175:DNA Methylation; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D016147:Genes, Tumor Suppressor; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008654:Mesothelioma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D020559:Monomeric GTP-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D010997:Pleural Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D011013:Pneumonectomy; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011379:Prognosis; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D016019:Survival Analysis; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D050762:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p15; D019941:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; C411762:RASSF1 protein, human; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins; D020559:Monomeric GTP-Binding Proteins