title: Detection of TFPI2 methylation in the serum of gastric cancer patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Methylation of tissue factor pathway inhibitor-2 (TFPI2) has been detected in the stool of colorectal cancer patients. Using quantitative methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (qMSP), 39 out of 215 (18%) patients exhibited TFPI2 methylation in their serum DNA, suggesting that a significant number of methylated TFPI2 existed in colorectal cancer patients' sera.
  
  
  METHODS
  Methylation status of the TFPI2 gene was examined in sera derived from 73 patients with gastric cancer using qMSP and the correlation between the methylation status and the clinicopathological findings was evaluated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of 73 serum samples, 7 (10%) exhibited TFPI2 methylation in their serum DNA by qMSP, suggesting that TFPI2 methylation existed in the serum of gastric cancer patients. After completion of qMSP analysis of all specimens, clinicopathological data were correlated with the molecular analysis. TFPI2 methylation was significantly more frequently found in serum of patients with lymph node metastasis (p=0.0040) and distant metastasis (p=0.0115).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In principle, knowledge of the methylation status of a primary tumor is not required in advance in order to be able to detect circulating tumor DNA. Therefore, qMSP could be used as a cancer screening method.
authors: Gastroenterological Surgery, Showa University Fujigaoka Hospital, 1-30 Fujigaoka, Aoba-ku, Yokohama 227-8501, Japan. kenjih-ngy@umin.ac.jp
authors: Kenji
authors: K
authors: Hibi
authors: Tetsuhiro
authors: T
authors: Goto
authors: Atsushi
authors: A
authors: Shirahata
authors: Mitsuo
authors: M
authors: Saito
authors: Gaku
authors: G
authors: Kigawa
authors: Hiroshi
authors: H
authors: Nemoto
authors: Yutaka
authors: Y
authors: Sanada
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D019175:DNA Methylation; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics / Q000556:secondary; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D010534:Peritoneal Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics / Q000556:secondary; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011379:Prognosis; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D006023:Glycoproteins; C021240:tissue-factor-pathway inhibitor 2