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Significance of promoter hypermethylation of p16 gene for margin assessment in carcinoma tongue
Author(s) -
Sinha Parul,
Bahadur S.,
Thakar Alok,
Matta Ajay,
Macha Muzafar,
Ralhan Ranju,
Gupta S. Datta
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
head and neck
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.012
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1097-0347
pISSN - 1043-3074
DOI - 10.1002/hed.21122
Subject(s) - dna methylation , tongue , medicine , methylation , carcinoma , head and neck cancer , surgical margin , cancer , cancer research , gene , molecular marker , pathology , oncology , gene expression , biology , genetics
Background Loss of p16 expression by promoter hypermethylation has been reported as an early event in the development of oral cancer. The aim of our study was to explore the prognostic implications of presence of promoter hypermethylation of p16 gene in surgical margins in carcinoma tongue.Methods A prospective analysis of 38 patients with resectable carcinoma tongue was carried out. DNA from tumor and the surgical margins was assessed by methylation‐specific polymerase chain reaction. Follow‐up duration was 17 to 37 months.Results About 86.8% of tumors showed promoter hypermethylation of p16 gene. Out of 30 patients with histologically free margins, 43.3% showed positivity on molecular assessment. Patients with positive molecular margins had a 6.3‐fold increased risk of having local recurrence as compared to patients with negative margins.Conclusion Promoter hypermethylation of p16 gene may serve as a useful molecular marker for predicting local recurrence in carcinoma tongue. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2009