DOI: 10.18413/2658-6533-2023-9-3-0-1

The role of DNA methylation in lung cancer (review)

Aigul R. Nizamova
Galiya F. Gimalova
Elza K. Khusnutdinova

Background: Lung cancer has been a difficult-to-treat disease for decades, despite the efforts of oncologists and pharmaceutical companies. One of the reasons for this is the heterogeneity of the genetic profiles of tumors. In recent years, the interest of researchers has been attracted by epigenetic changes within the tumor, in particular, DNA methylation. This paper reviews the distinctive features of the main subtypes of lung cancer, discusses the role of DNA methylation in non-small cell and small cell lung cancer, as well as its role in tumor response to therapy. The aim of the study: To summarize the results of DNA methylation analysis in lung cancer for a better understanding of the biological nature of the oncogenesis of this disease in order to use the identified biomarkers for early diagnosis of pathology and assessing the patient's prognosis. Materials and methods: The literature analysis was carried out in the PubMed, Google Scholar databases for the period from 1995 to 2022. Results: It was shown that the pattern of DNA methylation changes under the influence of smoking, and the changes persist even after smoking is stopped. Aberrantly methylated genes have been identified that can serve as biomarkers for lung cancer screening at early or late stages. These genes include: H19, HOXA3/HOXA4, RUNX3, BRICD5, PLXNB2, RP13, DIABLO, RASSF1A, SHOX2, EZH2, NEUROD1 and others. Moreover, it has been found that the methylation status of certain regions of DNA in small cell lung cancer correlates with tumor response to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Conclusion: Changes in the DNA methylation profiles of individuals can serve as markers for early diagnosis of the disease, and can be used as targets for therapeutic intervention, as well as to assess the patient's prognosis.

Keywords: lung cancer, epigenetics, DNA methylation, CpG-islands, smoking.

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Nizamova AR, Gimalova GF, Khusnutdinova EK. The role of DNA methylation in lung cancer (review). Research Results in Biomedicine. 2023;9(3):293-311. Russian. DOI: 10.18413/2658-6533-2023-9-3-0-1

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