PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - ATSUSHI SHIRAHATA AU - MAKIKO SAKATA AU - KAZUMA SAKURABA AU - TETSUHIRO GOTO AU - HIROKI MIZUKAMI AU - MITSUO SAITO AU - KAZUYOSHI ISHIBASHI AU - GAKU KIGAWA AU - HIROSHI NEMOTO AU - YUTAKA SANADA AU - KENJI HIBI TI - <em>Vimentin</em> Methylation as a Marker for Advanced Colorectal Carcinoma DP - 2009 Jan 01 TA - Anticancer Research PG - 279--281 VI - 29 IP - 1 4099 - http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/29/1/279.short 4100 - http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/29/1/279.full SO - Anticancer Res2009 Jan 01; 29 AB - Background: Recently, it was shown that the Vimentin gene, usually activated in mesenchymal cells, was highly methylated in colorectal carcinoma. Moreover, Vimentin methylation can be applied for the screening or as a diagnostic tool of colorectal carcinomas in the fecal DNA test. Materials and Methods: The methylation status of the Vimentin gene was examined in primary carcinomas and the corresponding normal tissues derived from 48 patients with colorectal cancer using quantitative methylation-specific PCR (qMSP) and the correlation between the methylation status and the clinicopathological findings was evaluated. Results. Aberrant methylation of the Vimentin gene was detected in 31 out of 48 (65%) primary colorectal carcinomas. This result suggested that the aberrant methylation of the Vimentin gene was frequent in colorectal carcinomas. Subsequently, clinicopathological data were correlated with the methylation score. A significant difference was observed in age and Dukes' stage (p=0.001 and p=0.034, respectively). Moreover, a trend was shown toward preferentially developing liver metastasis and peritoneal dissemination in colorectal carcinomas with Vimentin methylation (p=0.052 and p=0.080, respectively). Conclusion: Vimentin was frequently methylated in advanced colorectal carcinoma. Copyright© 2009 International Institute of Anticancer Research (Dr. John G. Delinassios), All rights reserved