Pharmacophore an International Research Journal
Background: The methylation of CDKN2A is reported to be associated with the tumorigenesis of the human cervix, the most common and high incidence cancer of female. Objective: The current study aimed to carry out a meta-analysis to evaluate the association between the CDKN2A gene methylation and cervical cancer, and its correlation could be used as an epigenetic biomarker for cervical cancer risk. Materials and methods: Relevant articles were identified by searching the MEDLINE database. The frequency and Odds ratio (OR) were applied to estimate the effect of CDKN2A methylation based on random-/fix-effects models. Results: A total of 16 studies, included 1,977 samples: 965 samples from cervical cancer patients, and 1,068 samples from non-cancerous samples, were enrolled in the meta-analysis. The overall frequency of CDKN2A methylation in the case-group was significantly higher than in the control group based on the random-effects model. Omitting the relative poor-quality studies, no heterogeneity among studies was recorded, the association increased (OR: 21.65; 95% CI = 12.47-37.58, fix-effects model). The association was also confirmed in all subgroup analyses. Additionally, the significant association was also found between the methylation of CDKN2A and pre-cancer risk: LSIL, HSIL (LSIL: OR = 6.15, 95% CI = 2.01-18.84; AD: HSIL: OR = 10.28, 95% CI = 3.53-29.91).
Conclusion: This meta-analysis provides scientific pieces of evidence to suggest that the CDKN2A methylation was the early epigenetic biomarker for the risk of cervical cancer.
