Methylation as a critical epigenetic process during tumor progressions among Iranian population: an overview

Abstract

Cancer is one of the main health challenges and leading causes of deaths in the world. Various environmental and genetic risk factors are associated with tumorigenesis. Epigenetic deregulations are also important risk factors during tumor progression which are reversible transcriptional alterations without any genomic changes. Various mechanisms are involved in epigenetic regulations such as DNA methylation, chromatin modifications, and noncoding RNAs. Cancer incidence and mortality have a growing trend during last decades among Iranian population which are significantly related to the late diagnosis. Therefore, it is required to prepare efficient molecular diagnostic panels for the early detection of cancer in this population. Promoter hyper methylation is frequently observed as an inhibitory molecular mechanism in various genes associated with DNA repair, cell cycle regulation, and apoptosis during tumor progression. Since aberrant promoter methylations have critical roles in early stages of neoplastic transformations, in present review we have summarized all of the aberrant methylations which have been reported during tumor progression among Iranian cancer patients. Aberrant promoter methylations are targetable and prepare novel therapeutic options for the personalized medicine in cancer patients. This review paves the way to introduce a non-invasive methylation specific panel of diagnostic markers for the early detection of cancer among Iranians.

Novel biomarkers used for early diagnosis and tyrosine kinase inhibitors as targeted therapies in colorectal cancer

“…DDK3 expression has been associated with tumor suppressive effects, and its downregulation is often observed in CRC, suggesting its potential as a diagnostic or prognostic biomarker. On the other hand, DDK, an antagonist of the Wnt signaling pathway, is frequently overexpressed in CRC, and its elevated levels may serve as a biomarker for disease progression and therapeutic response in CRC patients (Akhlaghipour et al, 2021). The human Dickkopf family includes the proteins DDK-1, DDK-2, DDK-3, and DDK-4, and the specific protein Soggy (Sgy)…”