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MGMT promoter gene methylation in pediatric glioblastoma: analysis using MS-MLPA

Child's Nervous System volume 27, Article number: 1877 (2011) Cite this article

Abstract

Purpose

Promoter methylation of the O6-methylguanine-DNA-methyltransferase (MGMT) gene is widely recognized as an important predictive factor in the treatment of glioblastoma (GBM) patients with temozolomide. However, data regarding the methylation status of the MGMT promoter in pediatric GBM are yet to be elucidated.

Methods

Nineteen tissue samples of pediatric GBM were evaluated for the MGMT promoter methylation status using methylation-specific multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MS-MLPA). Methylation status was also evaluated using methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (MSP) for 17 of the 19 patients. The correlation between MGMT promoter methylation and clinical outcome was assessed.

Results

Three of the 19 patients (16%) showed methylation of the MGMT promoter, according to MS-MLPA, as did 1 of the 17 (6%), according to MSP. The methylation status did not seem to have a definite effect on clinical outcome.

Conclusions

Pediatric GBMs rarely have methylated MGMT promoters. With a better clinical outcome and lower methylation rate than their adult counterparts, it may be suggested that, for pediatric GBM, MGMT promoter methylation does not play a significant role as a prognostic factor.

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Fig. 1

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by a National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korean government (MEST) (2008-0061821).

Conflicts of interest statement

None.

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Affiliations

  1. Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Department of Neurosurgery, Seoul National University Children’s Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 101 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 110-744, Republic of Korea

    Ji Yeoun Lee, Chul-Kee Park, Kyu-Chang Wang, Byung-Kyu Cho & Seung-Ki Kim

  2. Department of Pathology, Seoul National University Children’s Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Sung-Hye Park

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  1. Ji Yeoun Lee
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  2. Chul-Kee Park
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  3. Sung-Hye Park
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Correspondence to Seung-Ki Kim.

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Lee, J.Y., Park, CK., Park, SH. et al. MGMT promoter gene methylation in pediatric glioblastoma: analysis using MS-MLPA. Childs Nerv Syst 27, 1877 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00381-011-1525-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00381-011-1525-7

Keywords

  • Glioblastoma
  • Pediatric
  • MGMT
  • Methylation
  • MS-MLPA