Promoter hypermethylation of BCL6B gene is a potential plasma DNA biomarker for gastric cancer

We previously showed that BCL6B acts as a tumor suppressor in gastric cancer and up to 66% gastric cancer patients have promoter hypermethylation in tumor tissues. We aimed to evaluate the feasibility of detecting BCL6B methylation in plasma DNA as a potential biomarker for gastric cancer. Hypermethylation of the CpG islands in BCL6B promoter was detected in 42.5% (17/40) plasma DNA samples from gastric cancer patients, while no methylation was found in the plasma DNA of healthy controls (p<0.001). BCL6B methylation may serve as a novel potential non-invasive plasma biomarker for the detection of gastric cancer.