Prognostic Value of Promoter Hypermethylation of Retinoic Acid Receptor Beta (RARB) and CDKN2 (p16/MTS1) in Prostate Cancer.
OBJECTIVE
The molecular mechanism of prostate cancer is poorly understood. The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence and prognostic value of promoter hypermethylation of retinoic acid receptor beta (RARB) and p16 among benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer patients.


METHODS
In this case-control study, 63 patients were included in three groups; 21 with BPH as the control group, 21 with prostate cancer and good prognostic factors (based on prostate-specific antigen, Gleason score and stage) as good prognosis group, and 21 with prostate cancer and poor prognostic features as poor prognosis group. The prostate biopsy specimen of each individual was examined for hypermethylation of RARB and p16 promoters by methylation specific PCR (MSPCR).


RESULTS
Seven (33.3%) patients with good prognosis and 15 (71.4%) patients with poor prognosis were positive for RARB methylation, which were significantly higher than controls (P<0.0001). p16 promoter methylation was shown in 19.0% and 47.6% patients with good and poor prognosis, respectively. The RARB and p16 promoter methylation in the poor prognosis group was significantly higher than that in the good prognosis group (P =0.02 for RARB and P<0.0001 for p16).


CONCLUSIONS
Hypermethylation of RARB and p16 promoters may predict prognosis in prostate cancer.
Department of Radiation Oncology, Imam Hossein Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran;
Ahmad
A
Ameri
Asdollah
A
Alidoosti
Seyed Yousef
SY
Hosseini
Mohammad
M
Parvin
Mohammad Hasan
MH
Emranpour
Farnaz
F
Taslimi
Eisa
E
Salehi
Pedram
P
Fadavip
CDKN2 (p16/MTS1); CpG island; DNA methylation; Methylation Specific PCR; Prostate cancer; Retinoic acid receptor beta (RARB)