Methylation of PITX2 DNA feasible in prostate biopsies
(HealthDay)—For patients with prostate cancer (PCa), methylation of the paired-like homeodomain transcription factor 2 (PITX2) gene is feasible for individualized risk assessment in prostate core biopsies before surgery, according to a study published online Dec. 8 in the Journal of Molecular Diagnostics.
Barbara Uhl, from the University Hospital Bonn in Germany, and colleagues examined whether PITX2 methylation is feasible for individualized risk assessment in prostate core biopsies before surgery. PITX2 was measured using a quantitative, methylation-specific real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in three cohorts: matched samples of neoplastic and non-neoplastic tissue from 24 PCa patients; a cohort of 300 patients with PCa after radical prostatectomy; and core biopsy specimens from 32 PCa patients and 31 patients with benign prostatic disease.
The researchers found that in patients with PCa, PITX2 methylation discriminated between neoplastic and non-neoplastic tissue (P < 0.001). PITX2 methylation correlated with clinicopathologic parameters in the second cohort, and PITX2 hypermethylation predicted an elevated risk of biochemical recurrence. Overall, 720 of 753 prostate biopsies were applicable for analysis; PITX2 methylation was increased in tumor-positive biopsies and correlated with the International Society of Urological Pathology grade groups.
"This study indicates that the PITX2 methylation assay is feasible in prostate biopsies and might add valuable prognostic information for risk assessment in a presurgical diagnostic setting," the authors write.
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