Association between eight hypermethylation-related genes and gastric cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Although multiple gene promoter hypermethylation has been associated with gastric carcinogenesis, data on their specific relationship remains scant. We aimed to investigate the correlation between the status of multiple gene promoter methylation and gastric cancer (GC).

We searched PubMed, EMBASE, CNKI, Wanfang, Cqvip and Cochrane Library up to May 2021. We systematically assessed the association between methylation status of the CpG islands and the risk of GC. We compared the incidence of DNA methylation between tumor and non-tumor tissues, and evaluated the clinicopathological significance of the DNA methylation in gastric carcinoma. The data was presented by an odds ratio (OR) with an accompanying 95% confidence interval (CI). We then generated forest plots calculated by fixed-effects or random-effects model.

This study enrolled a total of 201 studies (140 papers). Our analysis showed a higher frequency of methylation of the CpG islands in GC tissues compared to non-neoplastic tissues. Besides, the data demonstrated that polygene's aberrant promoter methylation might be linked to the initial development and progression of GC.

The genes with altered DNA methylation might serve as epigenetic biomarkers, providing a promising molecular diagnostic and prognostic tool for human GC. However, our findings need further evaluation in large randomized controlled trials.