Plasma Dna Methylation Analysis In Predicting Short-Term Recurrence Of Surgical Patients With Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (Nsclc)

The purpose of this study was to validate and evaluate the quantification of methylated tumor suppressor genes (TSGs) of plasma in predicting short-term recurrence of surgical patients with NSCLC. Plasma specimens were collected from 54 consecutive NSCLC patients before and after operation, as well as 50 cancer free controls. All cell-free plasmas were analyzed for the amounts of methylated APC and RASSF1A by duplex real-time methylation-specific PCR. Plasma APC and RASSF1A methylation were correlated to recurrence either before or after operation, but not to age, gender, lymph node invasion, pathologic subtype and grade. The quantities of methylated APC and RASSF1A after operation both presented a similar mode of reduction in non-recurrences and unchanged in recurrences. The plasma methylated RASSF1A was the independent factor related to recurrence after logistic multivariate modeling. The quantification of methylated RASSF1A after operation provides useful prognostic biomarker for predicting recurrence in NSCLC patients after curative-intent surgery.