Clinicopathological significance of methylation in non-small cell lung cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Checkpoint with Forkhead-associated and Ring finger domains () is a G2/M checkpoint and tumor-suppressor gene. Recent publications showed the correlation of promoter methylation with clinicopathological significance of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), however, the results remain inconsistent. The aim of this study is to investigate the Clinicopathological significance of promoter methylation in NSCLC with a meta-analysis. A total of nine studies were included in the meta-analysis that 816 patients were involved. Our data indicated that the frequency of promoter methylation was higher in NSCLC than in normal lung tissue, Odd Ratios (OR) was 9.92 with 95% corresponding confidence interval (CI) 2.17-45.23, = 0.003. Further subgroup analysis revealed that promoter was more frequently methylated in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) than in adenocarcinoma (ADC), OR was 4.46 with 95% CI 1.65-12.05, = 0.003, suggesting the mechanism of SCC pathogenesis is different from ADC. Notably, promoter methylation was correlated with smoking behavior in NSCLC. In conclusion, could be a biomarker for diagnosis of NSCLC, and a promising drug target for development of gene therapy in SCC. promoter methylation is potentially associated with poor overall survival, additional studies need to be carried out for confirmation in future.