DNA methylation is the main mechanism of epigenetic gene silencing that
regulates gene expression without altering the DNA sequence, and the promoter
methylation of various genes has been demonstrated to be involved in the development
and/or progression of lung cancer. The growing body of evidence shows that DNA
methylation of several specific genes has been identified as molecular biomarkers that
accurately predict the outcome of disease. Additionally, in an effort for early detection
of lung cancer, the effect of analyzing DNA methylation in several remote media has
also been investigated. Here, recent achievements regarding the role of DNA
methylation as a biomarker for prognostic prediction and early detection in lung cancer
are reviewed.
Keywords: Biomarker, Early detection, Lung cancer, Methylation, Prognosis.
