Methylation of the Estrogen receptor promoter in the development of gastric cancer

Introduction: Gastric carcinogenesis is a multistep process including mutation of different genes but also epigenetic events as aberrant promoter methylation leading to gene silencing. Morphologically, disease progression appears as a sequence of intestinal metaplasia-dysplasia-invasive carcinoma, triggered by Helicobacter pylori infection. Methylation of the Estrogen receptor (ER) promoter has been attributed to the development of colorectal cancer and esophageal adenocarcinoma. The role in gastric carcinogenesis remained elusive. Methods: To study Estrogen receptor promoter methylation by quantitative methylat…