title: Evaluation of the expression of the MGMT gene in normal and neoplastic tissue of patients with colorectal cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the expression of tissue repair gene MGMT by comparing normal and neoplastic colonic mucosa in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC).
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 44 patients with colorectal cancer confirmed by histopathology. We excluded patients suspected of belonging to families with hereditary colorectal cancer (HNPCC and FAP) and patients with cancer of the lower or medium rectum treated with neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. The MGMT gene expression was assessed by the technique of polymerase chain reaction in real time (RT-PCR). The comparison of results for MGMT gene expression between normal and neoplastic tissues was made by paired Student's t test, adopting a significance level of 5% (p <0.05).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Tissue expression of the MGMT gene in all patients was lower in tumor tissue when compared to normal tissue (p = 0.002).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The repair gene MGMT is less expressed in tumor tissue compared to normal tissues in patients with sporadic CRC.
authors.affiliation: Universidade São Francisco, Bragança Paulista, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Adriana Teixeira
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Cordeiro
authors.forename: Camila Morais Gonçalves da
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Waldemar
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Bartchewsky Júnior
authors.forename: Marcelo Lima
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.forename: Carlos Augusto Real
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Martinez
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000235:genetics*; D003106:Colon; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D015254:DNA Modification Methylases / Q000235:genetics*; D045643:DNA Repair Enzymes / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins; D015254:DNA Modification Methylases; C515491:MGMT protein, human; D045643:DNA Repair Enzymes