O6-MethylGuanine-DNA Methyltransferase (MGMT) Promoter Methylation Status Analysis in High-Grade Gliomas

Abstract

The O6-methylguanine- DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) gene is frequently silenced by promoter hypermethylation in malignant gliomas and this has been pinpointed as an epigenetic mechanism reducing MGMT expression levels. The status of MGMT promoter hypermethylation and its relation to tumor progression in gliomas is under extensive study and previous studies have shown conflicting results on the significance of this epigenetic biomarker in relation to the tumor phenotype and clinical outcome. So, in our study, we assessed the role of the epigenetic biomarker; MGMT promoter methylation status, in high-grade glioma patients and correlated the results with the tumor phenotype and clinical outcome.