ONCOmmunity

Detection of Vimentin (VIM) Methylation in the Serum of Colorectal Cancer Patients

By: Shirahata A, Sakuraba K, Goto T, Saito M, Ishibashi K, Kigawa G, Nemoto H, Hibi K.

Gastroenterological Surgery, Showa University Fujigaoka Hospital, 1-30 Fujigaoka, Aoba-ku, Yokohama 227-8501, Japan. kenjih-ngy@umin.ac.jp.
Anticancer Res. 2010 Dec; 30(12):5015-8.

Abstract

Aim

Detection of colorectal cancer using serum assay of vimentin methylation.

Materials and methods

We attempted to detect vimentin methylation in the serum of colorectal cancer patients using quantitative methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (qMSP).

Results

Of 44 colorectal cancer patients, 4 (9%) exhibited methylation of the vimentin gene in their serum DNA by qMSP. Interestingly, methylation was significantly found in the serum of patients with liver metastasis, peritoneal dissemination, and distant metastasis (p=0.026, p=0.0029 and p=0.0063, respectively), suggesting that vimentin methylation in serum might be detected more frequently in patients with advanced colorectal cancer.

Conclusion

The high sensitivity of qMSP makes it possible to detect smaller amounts of tumor DNA in the serum, suggesting that qMSP can be used as a screening method for cancer.

PMID: 21187483 [PubMed - in process] Source: National Library of Medicine.