卵巢癌患者血液中RASSF1A基因甲基化的检测及其意义

目的 探讨循环肿瘤DNA中RASSF1A基因的甲基化及其与卵巢癌的关系。方法 应用甲基化特异性PCR（MSP）方法,对51名正常健康人、51例卵巢癌患者和51例卵巢良性肿瘤患者循环DNARASSF1A基因的甲基化进行了检测。结果 51名正常健康人和51例卵巢良性肿瘤患者循环DNARASSF1A基因甲基化的发生率均为0;51例卵巢癌患者循环肿瘤DNARASSF1A甲基化的发生率为43．1％（22／51,P〈0．05）。RASSF1A甲基化与卵巢癌组织学类型无明显相关性（P〉0.05）。临床Ⅰ期和Ⅱ期循环肿瘤DNARASSF1A基因甲基化的发生率明显低于临床Ⅲ期和Ⅳ期（P〈0．05）;高和中分化组RASSF1A基因甲基化的发生率低于低分化组（P〈0．05）。结论 RASSF1A基因甲基化在卵巢癌的发生和发展过程中起重要作用。卵巢癌患者的循环肿瘤DNA中可以检测到RASSF1A基因的甲基化,与卵巢癌的临床分期和组织学分级有关。循环肿瘤DNA中RASSF1A甲基化的检测有助于卵巢癌的诊断和预后判定。

Detection of circulating hypermethylated tumor-specific RASSF1A DNA in ovarian cancer patients

OBJECTIVE: To detect hypermethylated tumor-specific RASSF1A DNA in the circulation and its significance in ovarian cancers patients. METHODS: Methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (MSP) was used to study the hypermethylation of RASSF1A in preoperative serum samples from 51 ovarian cancer patients. RESULTS: The RASSF1A gene was not methylated in peripheral blood samples from 51 normal patients and 51 patients with benign ovarian tumors. Hypermethylation of RASSF1A gene was found in circulating tumor-specific DNA in 43.1% of patients (22 out of 51 cases) with ovarian cancers (P < 0.05). There was no difference in hypermethylation of RASSF1A gene amongst various ovarian cancer subtypes (P < 0.05). On the other hand, hypermethylation of RASSF1A gene was more frequently encountered in stage III and IV than stage I and II tumors (P < 0.05). It was rarely seen in well and moderately differentiated groups, as compared with poorly differentiated group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: There is a higher frequency of RASSF1A hypermethylation in circulating tumor-specific DNA of ovarian cancer patients. RASSF1A has been postulated to play an important role as tumor suppressor gene and can be silenced by promoter hypermethylation. This methylation correlates with clinical stage and histopathologic grade. Such observation may carry diagnostic and prognostic implications when assessing ovarian tumors.