The role of aberrant DNA methylation in cancer initiation and clinical impacts

Bibliographic Details
Title: The role of aberrant DNA methylation in cancer initiation and clinical impacts
Authors: Franziska Geissler, Ksenija Nesic, Olga Kondrashova, Alexander Dobrovic, Elizabeth M. Swisher, Clare L. Scott, Matthew J. Wakefield
Source: Therapeutic Advances in Medical Oncology, Vol 16 (2024)
Publisher Information: SAGE Publishing, 2024.
Publication Year: 2024
Collection: LCC:Neoplasms. Tumors. Oncology. Including cancer and carcinogens
Subject Terms: Neoplasms. Tumors. Oncology. Including cancer and carcinogens, RC254-282
More Details: Epigenetic alterations, including aberrant DNA methylation, are now recognized as bone fide hallmarks of cancer, which can contribute to cancer initiation, progression, therapy responses and therapy resistance. Methylation of gene promoters can have a range of impacts on cancer risk, clinical stratification and therapeutic outcomes. We provide several important examples of genes, which can be silenced or activated by promoter methylation and highlight their clinical implications. These include the mismatch DNA repair genes MLH1 and MSH2 , homologous recombination DNA repair genes BRCA1 and RAD51C , the TERT oncogene and genes within the P15/P16/RB1/E2F tumour suppressor axis. We also discuss how these methylation changes might occur in the first place – whether in the context of the CpG island methylator phenotype or constitutional DNA methylation. The choice of assay used to measure methylation can have a significant impact on interpretation of methylation states, and some examples where this can influence clinical decision-making are presented. Aberrant DNA methylation patterns in circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) are also showing great promise in the context of non-invasive cancer detection and monitoring using liquid biopsies; however, caution must be taken in interpreting these results in cases where constitutional methylation may be present. Thus, this review aims to provide researchers and clinicians with a comprehensive summary of this broad, but important subject, illustrating the potentials and pitfalls of assessing aberrant DNA methylation in cancer.
Document Type: article
File Description: electronic resource
Language: English
ISSN: 1758-8359
17588359
Relation: https://doaj.org/toc/1758-8359
DOI: 10.1177/17588359231220511
Access URL: https://doaj.org/article/149fbe6f4eb449958647e023e6a32ed0
Accession Number: edsdoj.149fbe6f4eb449958647e023e6a32ed0
Database: Directory of Open Access Journals
More Details
ISSN:17588359
DOI:10.1177/17588359231220511
Published in:Therapeutic Advances in Medical Oncology
Language:English