Analysis of fecal DNA methylation to detect gastrointestinal neoplasia.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The development of noninvasive screening tests is important to reduce mortality from gastrointestinal neoplasia. We sought to develop such a test by analysis of DNA methylation from exfoliated cancer cells in feces.

Methods

We first analyzed methylation of the RASSF2 and SFRP2 gene promoters from 788 primary gastric and colorectal tissue specimens to determine whether methylation patterns could act as stage-dependent biomarkers of gastrointestinal tumorigenesis. Next, we developed a novel strategy that uses single-step modification of DNA with sodium bisulfite and fluorescence polymerase chain reaction methodology to measure aberrant methylation in fecal DNA. Methylation of the RASSF2 and SFRP2 promoters was analyzed in 296 fecal samples obtained from a variety of

SUBMITTER: Nagasaka T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2762745 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature