title: TFAP2E methylation status and prognosis of patients with radically resected colorectal cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study investigates the clinical significance of the gene encoding AP-2ε (TFAP2E) in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients undergoing curative resection.
  
  
  METHODS
  A single-institution cohort of 248 patients who underwent curative resection of stage I/II/III CRCs between March and December 2004 was enrolled, and 193 patients whose tumors were available for the determination of the TFAP2E methylation status were included in the analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  TFAP2E hypermethylation was detected in 112 patients (58%) and was significantly associated with distally located CRCs, low pathologic T stage (T1/T2), and stage I tumors. After a median follow-up of 86.3 months, the patients with TFAP2E hypermethylation tended to show better relapse-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) than the patients with TFAP2E hypomethylation (5-year RFS rate: 90 vs. 80%, p = 0.063; 6-year OS rate: 88 vs. 80%, p = 0.083). Multivariate analysis showed that the pathologic nodal stage and TFAP2E methylation status were independent prognostic factors for RFS and OS, and they remained significant factors in the subgroup analysis that included 154 patients with stage II/III CRCs who had received adjuvant chemotherapy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  TFAP2E hypermethylation is associated with good clinical outcomes and may be considered as an independent prognostic factor in patients with curatively resected CRCs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Asan Institute for Life Science, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Seong Joon
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Seung-mi
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Yong Sang
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Jae-Lyun
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Jeong-Eun
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Kyu-pyo
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Seung-Mo
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Dong-Hoon
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.forename: Chan Wook
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Yong Sik
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.forename: In Ja
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Seok-Byung
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.forename: Chang Sik
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Jin Cheon
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Tae Won
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D019175:DNA Methylation; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D050656:Transcription Factor AP-2 / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: C493680:TFAP2E protein, human; D050656:Transcription Factor AP-2