Abstract
Aberrant promoter hypermethylation of several known or putative tumor suppressor genes occurs frequently during the etiopathogenesis of lung cancer and is a promising tool for cancer detection. In the present study, promoter hypermethylation of p16^INK4A^ and CDH13 genes was investigated in tumor tissue and in matched serum from 61 patients with histologically confirmed nonโsmall cell lung cancer. Using a fluorescenceโbased method of methylationโspecific PCR (FโMSP), methylation of p16^INK4A^ and CDH13 was detected in 79% and 66% of tumors, respectively, and was not significantly related to conventional clinicopathological characteristics of patients or tumors. Methylation of both genes was observed in 52% of tumors and of at least one gene in 92% of lesions. In matched serum, hypermethylation of p16^INK4A^ and CDH13 was observed in 26% and 23% of patients, respectively, but as they were not associated, the methylation of at least one gene was detected in 39% of patients. In conclusion, the frequency of p16^INK4A^ or CDH13 hypermethylation in patient serum, together with evidence of their early occurrence in lung cancerogenesis and the total lack of methylation in serum from healthy individuals, offer a promising tool for non invasive early detection of lung cancer. ยฉ 2005 WileyโLiss, Inc.