Detection and clinical significance of DLC1 gene methylation in serum DNA from colorectal cancer patients

Deleted in liver cancer 1 (DLC1) is a new candidate tumor suppressor gene, whose down-regulation or even silence will result from promoter hypermethylation in various human cancers including colorectal cancer (CRC). The aim of this study is to evaluate the diagnostic role of DLC1 gene methylation in the serum DNA from CRC patients. This study enrolled 85 CRC patients and 45 patients with benign colorectal diseases. Methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (MSP) was used to determine the promoter methylation status of DLC1 gene in serum DNA. The combination of DLC1 methylation and conventional tumor markers was further analyzed. Hypermethylation of DLC1 was detected in 42.4% (36/85) of CRC serums, while seldom in the benign controls (8.9%, 4/45) (P < 0.001). The aberrant DLC1 methylation in serum DNA was not associated with patients' clinicopathological features and elevated CEA/CA19-9 levels. Furthermore, the combinational analysis of CEA, CA19-9 and DLC1 methylation showed a higher sensitivity and no reduced diagnostic specificity than CEA and CA19-9 combination for CRC diagnosis. The serum DLC1 methylation may be a promising biomarker for the early detection of CRC, which will further increase the diagnostic efficiency in combination with CEA and CA19-9.