title: Role of RASSF1A promoter methylation in the pathogenesis of ovarian cancer: a meta-analysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the current meta-analysis was to comprehensively assess the role of RASSF1A promoter methylation in the pathogenesis of ovarian cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  A range of electronic databases were searched: Web of Science (1945-2013), the Cochrane Library Database (Issue 12, 2013), PubMed (1966-2013), EMBASE (1980-2013), CINAHL (1982-2013), and the Chinese Biomedical Database (1982-2013) without language restrictions. Meta-analysis was conducted using the STATA 12.0 software. The crude odds ratio (OR) with its corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twelve clinical cohort studies with a total of 739 ovarian cancer patients were included in the current meta-analysis. The results of our meta-analysis suggested that the frequency of RASSF1A promoter methylation in cancer tissues was higher compared with benign, adjacent, and normal tissues (cancer tissues vs. benign tissues: OR=9.92, 95% CI: 7.67-12.82, p<0.001; cancer tissues vs. adjacent tissues: OR=68.15, 95% CI: 39.30-118.18, p<0.001; cancer tissues vs. normal tissues: OR=30.71, 95% CI: 23.12-40.80, p<0.001; respectively). Subgroup analysis based on ethnicity and sample types revealed that RASSF1A gene methylation was closely associated with the pathogenesis of ovarian cancer in all subgroups (all p<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings indicated that abnormal RASSF1A promoter methylation may be strongly correlated with the pathogenesis of ovarian cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The People's Hospital of Zhongshan City , Zhongshan, People's Republic of China .
authors.forename: Jin-Ge
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Si
authors.forename: Yuan-Yuan
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Su
authors.forename: Yan-Hua
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Ru-Hong
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000235:genetics; D019175:DNA Methylation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C411762:RASSF1 protein, human; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins