Promoter Methylation of RASSF1A Gene in Egyptian Patients with Ovarian Cancer

Ovarian malignancy is diagnosed in nearly a fourth of a million women internationally every year. Methylation of RASSF1A tumor suppressor gene prompts its inactivation in diseases. In this study, the RASSF1A promoter methylation was detected by methylated-specific PCR and investigated serum RASSF1A protein level through enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay in 160 Egyptian patients with ovarian cancer and 160 healthy controls. The present work proved that there was a higher frequency of RASSF1A methylation and a decrease in its serum level in patients with ovarian cancer compared to controls as well as in the high-grade tumor patients compared to low grade ones and also in advanced ovarian tumor stage compared to early stages. Our study exhibited that RASSF1A promoter hypermethylation and its protein levels may be a reliable and sensitive tool for diagnosing and monitoring of ovarian malignancy patients.