Promotor hypermethylation of E-cadherin, p16 and estrogen receptor in prostate carcinoma / 中华男科学杂志

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate promotor hypermethylation of the CpG islands of E-Cadherin, p16 and estrogen receptor (ER) in prostate carcinoma and explore whether such methylation might play a role in the tumorigenesis and malignant progression of prostate carcinoma and their significance in the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Thirteen specimens of benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), 10 specimens of high grade prostate intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN) and 20 specimens of prostate carcinoma (with follow-up records) were collected from the patients who underwent radical prostatectomy or transurethral resection. Methylation-specific PCR (MSP) was used to detect the promoter hypermethylation of E-Cadherin, p16 and ER genes.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Hypermethylation percentages in prostate carcinoma were E-Cadherin, 30%; p16, 25%; and ER, 65%. Almost all nonmalignant tissues (BPH and HG-PIN) lacked methylation of any genes.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Detecting promotor hypermethylation of E-Cadherin, p16 and ER may be helpful to differentiate nonmalignant lesions from prostate carcinoma.</p>