There are currently no reliable serum biomarkers for the diagnosis or treatment of patients with lung cancer. Several tumor suppressor genes, including APC, p16, MGMT, DAPK, and GSTP1, are known to be hypermethylated in lung tumors, and these methylated genes can be detected in the blood of lung cancer patients. When DNA is treated with bisulfite, differences in the DNA sequence develop between methylated and unmethylated genes. Methylation-specific PCR (MSP) can then be used to selectively amplify hypermethylated genes specific to tumors, and distinguish their presence amidst normal DNA. We have developed a technique which combines TaqMan(r) real-time PCR with MSP. This technique, called TaqMan(r)-MSP, provides higher sensitivity and specificity than conventional MSP for identifying methylated genes in the blood of cancer patients. Furthermore, TaqMan(r)-MSP is a high-throughput test, allowing for the rapid analysis of multiple genes in multiple samples, with quantitative as well as qualitative measurements generated for comparison. In this study, we propose to evaluate the effectiveness and utility of TaqMan(r)-MSP to measure the quantity of hypermethylated genes in the blood of patients with early stage, and advanced lung cancer. We will take the novel approach of measuring the quantity of multiple different hypermethylated genes in blood at timepoints before, and after therapy (surgery, or chemotherapy). The goal of this study is to explore the ability of TaqMan(r)-MSP to detect the presence of hypermethylated genes in the blood of lung cancer patients. Future studies will be required to establish this technique as a reliable diagnostic tool to guide the management of patients with lung cancer.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
1R01CA092315-01A2
Application #
6728163
Study Section
Clinical Oncology Study Section (CONC)
Program Officer
Wu, Roy S
Project Start
2004-05-01
Project End
2009-04-30
Budget Start
2004-05-01
Budget End
2005-04-30
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2004
Total Cost
$349,696
Indirect Cost
Name
Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research
Department
Type
DUNS #
064931884
City
New York
State
NY
Country
United States
Zip Code
10065