Assessment of Met
Assessment of
Methylation of RASSF1A Gene in Circulating Tumor DNA of Breast Cancer Patients
by Methylation-Specific Polymerase Chain Reaction
Nasser Sadek Rezk1,
Abeer Al Sayed Shehab1, Abeer Ibrahim Abd El-Mageed1,
Mohamed El-Shinawi2 and Mohamed Omar El Maraghy1
Departments of Clinical
Pathology1 and General Surgery2, Faculty of
Medicine, Ain Shams University
Abstract: Background: The
aim of the present study was to evaluate the methylation status of RASSF1A
tumor suppressor gene in circulating tumor DNA in sera of a group of Egyptian
breast cancer patients by methylation-specific PCR. Methods: 50
subjects were included: 36 breast cancer patients and 14 healthy controls.
Following breast examination, imaging studies and tissue biopsies (for patients
group), CA 15-3 was assessed by electrochemiluminescence and RASSF1A gene
methylation status was evaluated by methylation-specific PCR. Results: RASSF1A
gene was methylated in 17/36 (47.2%) of patients and in none of the 14 control
samples. Heterozygous pattern of RASSF1A gene methylation was detected in 2
patient samples. There was a significant association between tumor stage
subgroups and each of CA 15-3 serum levels and RASSF1A gene methylation. Conclusion: RASSF1A
gene methylation is a potential epigenetic marker for breast cancer. Further
improvement of its screening efficiency might be reached by the use of more
than one gene in combination. This gene is a likely candidate for tumor
demethylation therapy.
[Nasser Sadek Rezk,
Abeer Al Sayed Shehab, Abeer Ibrahim Abd El-Mageed, Mohamed El-Shinawi and
Mohamed Omar El Maraghy. Assessment of Methylation of Rassf1a Gene in
Circulating Tumor Dna of Breast Cancer Patients by Methylation-Specific
Polymerase Chain Reaction. Life Sci J 2013;10(1):1945-1951]
(ISSN:1097-8135). http://www.lifesciencesite.com.
Key words: RASSF1A, gene methylation, epigenetics, CA 15-3, breast cancer, methylation PCR.
