Detection of TMS1/ASC gene promoter hypermethylation in plasma and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid of lung cancer patients

Objective To investigate the status and diagnostic value of hypermethylated TMS1/ASC gene promoter in plasma and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid （BALF） of lung cancer patients.Methods Methylation specific polymerease chain reaction （MSP） was used to detect the hypermethylation status of TMS1/ASC gene promoter in plasma and BALF of 92 cases of lung cancer and 20 cases of benign lesions.Results The positive rate of TMS1/ASC gene promoter methylation in lung cancer patients was 27.2% in plasma and 32.6% in BALF respectively,and promoter methylation in TMS1/ASC gene was not found in plasma or BALF in patients with benign lesions （x2 =6.997,8.908 ; P 〈 0.05）.The positive expression of TMS1/ASC gene promoter methylation in lung cancer patients was not correlated with the gender,histopathological type,clinical stages or lymph node metastasis.Conclusion The hypermethylation status of TMS1/ASC gene promoter in plasma and BALF may be used as an indicator for diagnosis of lung cancer. Key words: Lung cancer; TMS1/ASC gene; Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid