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The Epigenetic promise for prostate cancer diagnosis
Author(s) -
Van Neste Leander,
Herman James G,
Otto Gaëtan,
Bigley Joseph W,
Epstein Jonathan I,
Van Criekinge Wim
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
the prostate
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.295
H-Index - 123
eISSN - 1097-0045
pISSN - 0270-4137
DOI - 10.1002/pros.22459
Subject(s) - prostate cancer , dna methylation , gstp1 , epigenetics , biomarker , medicine , cancer , prostate , pca3 , disease , oncology , cancer biomarkers , bioinformatics , cancer research , biology , gene , genetics , gene expression , genotype
BACKGROUND Prostate cancer is the most common cancer diagnosis in men and a leading cause of death. Improvements in disease management would have a significant impact and could be facilitated by the development of biomarkers, whether for diagnostic, prognostic, or predictive purposes. The blood‐based prostate biomarker PSA has been part of clinical practice for over two decades, although it is surrounded by controversy. While debates of usefulness are ongoing, alternatives should be explored. Particularly with recent recommendations against routine PSA‐testing, the time is ripe to explore promising biomarkers to yield a more efficient and accurate screening for detection and management of prostate cancer. Epigenetic changes, more specifically DNA methylation, are amongst the most common alterations in human cancer. These changes are associated with transcriptional silencing of genes, leading to an altered cellular biology. METHODS One gene in particular, GSTP1, has been widely studied in prostate cancer. Therefore a meta‐analysis has been conducted to examine the role of this and other genes and the potential contribution to prostate cancer management and screening refinement. RESULTS More than 30 independent, peer reviewed studies have reported a consistently high sensitivity and specificity of GSTP1 hypermethylation in prostatectomy or biopsy tissue. The meta‐analysis combined and compared these results. CONCLUSIONS GSTP1 methylation detection can serve an important role in prostate cancer managment. The meta‐analysis clearly confirmed a link between tissue DNA hypermethylation of this and other genes and prostate cancer. Detection of DNA methylation in genes, including GSTP1, could serve an important role in clinical practice. Prostate 72:1248–1261, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.