title: Promoter methylation of esophageal cancer-related gene 4 in gastric cancer tissue and its clinical significance.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To observe the promoter methylation of esophageal cancer-related gene 4 (ECRG4) in gastric cancer tissues and explore its clinical significance.
  
  
  METHODS
  ECRG4 promoter methylation was detected with methylation-specific PCR in 49 samples of gastric cancer tissues, 30 samples of peri-cancerous tissues and 15 samples of normal tissues. The relations of ECRG4 promoter methylation to pathology, age, gender and lymph node metastasis were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The rate of ECRG4 promoter methylation was higher in gastric cancer tissues (69.4% (34/49)) and peri-cancerous tissues (53.3% (16/30)) than in normal tissues (6.7% (1/15)) (p<0.01). The rate of ECRG4 promoter methylation was higher in stage III+IV (80% (24/30)) than in stage I+II gastric cancer tissues (52.6% (10/19)) (p<0.05). The rate of ECRG4 promoter methylation was not related to age, gender and lymph node metastasis (all p>0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Aberrant ECRG4 promoter methylation may be used to monitor early gastric cancer and predict pathological staging. ECRG4 may become a molecular therapeutic target against gastric cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Liaoning Medical University, China.
authors.forename: Yu-Bin
authors.initials: YB
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Cai-Feng
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Ba
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000235:genetics*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002681:China; D019175:DNA Methylation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011379:Prognosis; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D013274:Stomach Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C476999:ECRG4 protein, human; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins