Promoter hypermethylation of MGMT (O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase) in cervical squamous cell carcinoma

Lee, Seung Ho; Park, Noh Hyun

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the correlation between promoter hypermethylation of DNA repair gene O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) and clinicopathologic characteristics in uterine cervical squamous cell carcinoma.
METHODS
Pyrosequencing was used to analyze the MGMT promoter methylation status of 34 uterine cervical squamous cell carcinoma. 26 patients were stage Ib and 8 patients were stage IIa. Radical hysterectomy with pelvic lymph node dissection was done in all patients. The clinicopathologic characteristics were analyzed retrospectively. The correlation between hypermethylation and clinical characteristics was assessed using Mann-Whitney U-test or Fisher's exact test.
RESULTS
Hypermethylation was detected in 3 of 34 (8.8%) cancer tissues. We investigated the correlation between hypermethylation and clinicopathologic characteristics including age, stage, menstrual status, metastasis of lymph node, invasion of resection margin, size of tumor, lymph-vascular space invasion and invasion of parametrial tissue. Among these characteristics, only invasion of parametrial tissue was related to hypermethylation (p=0.03) and the others were not.
CONCLUSION
Promoter hypermethylation of MGMT gene was associated with invasion of parametrial tissue only.