Selection of Sensitive Methylation Markers for the Detection of Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

Introduction: While early-stage lung cancer is curable by surgical resection, most patients are diagnosed with advanced-stage disease. Annual low-dose computed tomography screening decreases lung cancer mortality, however effective biomarkers to address the high false positive rate and to better define high risk individuals are lacking. This study was designed to identify potential DNA methylation markers for the detection of non-small cell lung cancer, the most common type of lung cancer. Methods: 152 candidate methylation genes were first investigated in lung cancer cell lines and a pilot set of lung tissues. Five promising methylated genes, DMRTA, HOXA9, ZIC4, HOXA7, and SIX3, were selected and further validated in 150 non-small cell lung cancers and 142 tumor-free surrounding lung tissues using the quantitative methylation-specific PCR.