KEY TAKEAWAYS
- The study aimed to investigate the association between TET2 and 5hmC expression and their clinical significance in type I EC.
- Researchers noticed a downregulation of TET2 and 5hmC in EC tissues, indicating their potential as poor prognostic indicators for EC patients, suggesting combined detection for enhanced diagnosis and prognosis.
Aberrant DNA methylation is a vital molecular alteration commonly detected in type I endometrial cancers (EC), and tet methylcytosine dioxygenase 2 (TET2) and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) play significant roles in DNA demethylation. However, little is known about the function and correlation of TET2 and 5hmC co-expressed in EC.
Lei Kuang and the team aimed to investigate the clinical significance of TET2 and 5hmC in EC.
Researchers performed an inclusive analysis, detecting the levels of TET2 and 5hmC in 326 endometrial tissues via immunohistochemistry. The correlation of their levels was assessed using Pearson analysis. Subsequently, the association between the levels of TET2 and 5hmC and clinicopathologic characteristics was analyzed. Prognostic value was explored through Kaplan-Meier analysis, while the Cox proportional hazard regression model was employed for univariate and multivariate analyses.
The analysis revealed that TET2 protein level showed a positive correlation with 5hmC level in EC tissues (r = 0.801, P < 0.001). The TET2+5hmC+ (high TET2 and high 5hmC) association was significantly linked with well differentiation, myometrial invasion, negative lymph node metastasis, and tumor stage in EC. Additionally, the association of TET2 and 5hmC served as a confirmed prognostic factor (HR = 2.843, 95% CI = 1.226-3.605, P = 0.007) for EC patients. Notably, EC patients exhibiting TET2–5hmC– levels displayed poor overall survival.
The study concluded that the association of TET2 and 5hmC was downregulated in EC tissues, suggesting a potential poor prognostic indicator for EC patients. Combined detection of TET2 and 5hmC may hold value for the diagnosis and prognosis of EC.
The study was supported by the Xuzhou science and Technology Project, the Xuzhou introduced clinical medical expert team project, and the Jiangsu Key Laboratory of New Drug Research and Clinical Pharmacy, Jiangsu Province traditional Chinese medicine science and technology development project.
Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38515066/
Kuang L, Zhang J, Li Y, et al. (2024). “Association of tet methylcytosine dioxygenase 2 and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine in endometrioid adenocarcinoma and its clinical significance.” BMC Womens Health. 2024 Mar 21;24(1):188. doi: 10.1186/s12905-024-03021-2. PMID: 38515066; PMCID: PMC10956261.
