2022 World Conference on Lung Cancer (ePosters)-EP14.01-019. Identifying Circulating DNA Methylation Patterns in Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients

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Researchers at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and the University of Toronto have analyzed the DNA methylation patterns in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients using a sequencing technique called cfMeDIP-seq. Since SCLC tumors are rarely resected, there is a lack of available tumor tissue for study. In this study, the researchers examined the pre-treatment methylome of 74 SCLC patients using cell-free methylated DNA immunoprecipitation sequencing (cfMeDIP-seq) on plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA) and genomic DNA (gDNA) from peripheral blood leukocytes (PBLs). They also performed cfMeDIP-seq on an independent cohort of healthy non-cancer controls and on genomic DNA from circulating tumor cell derived xenograft (CDX) models.<br /><br />The results of the study showed that there are distinct clusters of methylation patterns in SCLC patients, which are associated with different stages and prognostic outcomes. These clusters were found to be differentially methylated at regulatory and non-coding regions of the genome, suggesting potential biological mechanisms involved in SCLC disease progression. The researchers also developed a specific cfDNA filter called PRIME, which can be used in future liquid biopsy analyses to inform SCLC diagnosis and treatment.<br /><br />In addition, the study performed a pathway analysis of the hypermethylated differentially methylated regions (DMRs) in the lower-risk and higher-risk clusters, revealing several pathways that may be important in SCLC, including phospholipase D signaling pathway, choline metabolism in cancer, and axon guidance.<br /><br />Overall, this study provides valuable insights into the DNA methylation patterns in SCLC patients and their potential role in disease progression. The findings may have implications for the development of targeted therapies and the use of liquid biopsies in SCLC management.

Asset Subtitle

Sami Ul Haq

Meta Tag

Speaker Sami Ul Haq

Topic Small Cell Lung Cancer and Neuro-endocrine Tumours - Informing ES-SCLC

Keywords

DNA methylation

small cell lung cancer

cfMeDIP-seq

tumor tissue

methylome

liquid biopsy

prognostic outcomes

biological mechanisms

pathway analysis

targeted therapies