[DNA methylation and prostate cancer].

DNA methylation is a common event in malignancies and implicated in tumor initiation and progression. There is a battery of genes involved in critical cell processes such as DNA damage repair, which are hypermethylated in prostate cancer. DNA methylation has also been found in premalignant lesions such as prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia, but to a less extent compared with that in prostate cancer. Intensive study on DNA methylation would provide a new opportunity for the early diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of prostate cancer.