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O 6 ‐methylguanine‐DNA methyltransferase methylation and TP53 mutation in malignant astrocytomas and their relationships with clinical course
Author(s) -
Watanabe Takao,
Katayama Yoichi,
Komine Chiaki,
Yoshino Atsuo,
Ogino Akiyoshi,
Ohta Takashi,
Fukushima Takao
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
international journal of cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.475
H-Index - 234
eISSN - 1097-0215
pISSN - 0020-7136
DOI - 10.1002/ijc.20625
Subject(s) - methyltransferase , methylation , cancer research , dna methylation , temozolomide , anaplastic astrocytoma , epigenetics , glioma , dna methyltransferase , o 6 methylguanine dna methyltransferase , biology , medicine , oncology , astrocytoma , gene , genetics , gene expression
Epigenetic silencing of O 6 ‐methylguanine‐DNA methyltransferase ( MGMT ) by promoter methylation can confer cancer cells with an increased sensitivity to alkylating chemotherapeutic agents and a higher susceptibility to TP53 transition mutations. The aim of our study was to assess the correlation of promoter methylation of the MGMT gene with TP53 mutations and the clinical characteristics of malignant astrocytomas. We analyzed the MGMT promoter methylation and TP53 mutations in 45 malignant astrocytomas (16 anaplastic astrocytomas and 29 glioblastomas multiforme) treated prospectively with 1‐(4‐amino‐2‐methyl‐5‐pyrimidinyl)methyl‐3‐2(2‐chloroethyl)‐3‐nitrosourea, interferon‐β and radiation therapy, and evaluated their clinical usefulness. MGMT promoter methylation was found in 17 (38%) of the 45 newly diagnosed malignant astrocytomas. A clear trend existed between MGMT methylation and G:C to A:T transition mutations of TP53 ( p = 0.0596). Patients with MGMT ‐methylated tumors displayed a greater chance of responding to adjuvant therapy as compared with those with MGMT ‐unmethylated tumors ( p = 0.0393). TP53 mutation was not significantly associated with the clinical response ( p = 0.1310). While neither MGMT methylation nor TP53 mutation had a significant effect on prognosis of the whole population, the presence of MGMT methylation emerged as a significant predictor of a longer survival when exclusively analyzing 29 patients with glioblastomas multiforme. These findings highlight the importance of MGMT methylation as a specific predictive factor for responsiveness to nitrosourea chemotherapy.