KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The study aimed to assess SHOX2 and RASSF1A methylation in plasma for early-stage LUAD diagnosis, comparing with BALF biomarkers.
- The results showed plasma SHOX2 and RASSF1A methylation had high sensitivity and specificity for early LUAD diagnosis.
Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) represents the most prevalent type of lung cancer. SHOX2 and RASSF1A methylation have been identified as important biomarkers for the diagnosis and prognosis of lung cancer. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) exhibits good specificity and sensitivity in diagnosing pulmonary diseases, but its acquisition is challenging and may cause discomfort to patients. In clinical settings, plasma samples are more convenient to obtain than BALF; however, there is limited research on the simultaneous detection of SHOX2 and RASSF1A methylation in plasma.
Yulin Jin and the team aimed to evaluate the diagnostic potential of a combined promoter methylation assay for SHOX2 and RASSF1A in early-stage LUAD using plasma samples.
They performed an inclusive analysis by obtaining BALF and blood samples from 36 patients with early-stage LUAD and a control group of nineteen non-tumor individuals. The promoter methylation levels of SHOX2 and RASSF1A in all subjects were assessed using the human SHOX2 and RASSF1A gene methylation kit.
The methylation detection rate, SHOX2, and RASSF1A in plasma was 61.11%, slightly lower than that in BALF (66.7%). The Chi-square test revealed no significant difference in the methylation rate between BALF and plasma (P > 0.05). The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis for blood was 0.806 (95% CI, 0.677 to 0.900), while for BALF it was 0.781 (95% CI, 0.649 to 0.881).
Additionally, an analysis of the correlation between SHOX2 and RASSF1A methylation levels in plasma with gender, age, tumor differentiation, pathologic classification, and other clinicopathological variables showed no significant correlations.
The study concluded that measurement of SHOX2 and RASSF1A methylation for early diagnosis of LUAD can be achieved with high sensitivity and specificity using plasma as a substitute for BALF samples.
No funding information was given.
Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38996143/
Jin Y, Lu R, Liu F, et al. (2024). “DNA methylation analysis in plasma for early diagnosis in lung adenocarcinoma.” Medicine (Baltimore). 2024 Jul 12;103(28):e38867. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000038867. PMID: 38996143; PMCID: PMC11245223.
