ArticleFrontiers in oncology2026
Circulating methylated promoters of HK2 and EGFR as biomarkers in the early detection of cancer.
Article in Frontiers in oncology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
Introduction: Aberrant methylation of promoter DNA regions is a well-known epigenetic hallmark of cancer. Previous studies on tumorigenic mouse models revealed that abnormal methylation in the promoter regions of selected genes occurs during the early stages of tumorigenesis. To explore further changes in the blood circulation of humans, we analysed the methylation levels of tumour- derived DNA in the plasma of selected samples, to develop a preliminary non-invasive method for early cancer detection. Materials and methods: Following earlier epigenetic modifications in tumorigenic mouse models, four genes (HK2, EGFR, DDIT3, and VEGFA) with differentially methylated promoters were selected for the present study. Targeted gene-specific methylated and unmethylated primers were designed by using the Methprimer program, and blood was drawn from clinically diagnosed cancer patients and healthy controls. cfDNA was isolated, bisulfite-treated, and analysed by qMSP. ROC curve analysis was conducted for genes that were found to be amplified, and validation was conducted by using Results: Out of the four genes, HK2 and EGFR alone exhibited successful amplification and significantly higher methylation in the circulation of cancer samples. ROC analysis showed good diagnostic performance of HK2, AUC = 0.8288, and EGFR AUC = 0.9405. Relative methylation analysis in 12 different cancer types showed elevated methylation levels for HK2 and EGFR in liver, lung, prostate, ovarian, colon, stomach, breast, endometrial, and cervical cancers. Discussion: Abnormal promoter methylation is an early event in tumorigenesis and can be detected in circulating cfDNA. The present study analysed the diagnostic potential of HK2 and EGFR promoter methylation in cfDNA as non-invasive early cancer biomarkers. The results showed significant hypermethylation in cancer patients with strong diagnostic performance (AUC = 0.8288 and 0.9405).
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