[Study on hypermethylation of the calcitonin gene in malignant hematological disorders]

To investigate the clinical significance of hypermethylation of the calcitonin (CT) gene in malignant hematological disorders (MHD).

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in combination with digestion of DNA with Hpa II was used to examine the methylation patterns of the CT gene in 73 patients with MHD, 6 healthy people and 24 patients with nonmalignant hematological disorders (NON-MHD).

Hypermethylation of the CT gene occurred in 12 of 14 (85.7%) patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), 9 of 15 (60%) acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (ANLL), 8 of 10 (80%) chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), 5 of 15 (33.3%) malignant lymphoma (ML), 2 of 5 patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), 1 of 2 malignant histiocytosis (MH), 1 of 3 chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and 1 of 9 multiple myeloma (MM). However, it did not occur in normal controls and NON-MHD.

Hypermethylation of CT gene may serve as an important molecular maker for tumorous cell clone and may be useful in diagnosing MHD, monitoring minimal residual disease and predicting prognosis.