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Cervical cancer : Promoter hypermethylation and its reversal


Journal: Journal of Pharmacy Research
ISSN 0974-6943

Volume: 4;
Issue: 10;
Start page: 3378;
Date: 2011;
Original page

Keywords: Cervical cancer | epigenetic alterations | DNA methylation | histone deacetylase inhibitors

Cervical cancer is one of the most common cancer in women resulting in 0.4% of the total mortality across the world. A number of epigenetic alterations occurduring all stages of cervical carcinogenesis including global DNA hypomethylation, hypermethylation of the tumor suppressor genes, and histone modifications,like acetylation, deacetylation, phosphorylation, methylation etc. Many genetic and environmental factors lead to the development of cervical cancer,but DNA methylation may provide a link between these factors. Genome stability and normal gene expression are largely maintained by a fixed andpredetermined pattern of DNA methylation. The reversible nature of epigenetic changes constitutes a target for transcriptional therapies, namely DNAmethylation and histone deacetylase inhibitors. The near future is likely to bring long-awaited answers on the impact of aberrant epigenetic information causedby diet and environment and provide important information for the discovery of new biomarkers andthe development of novel strategies for diagnosis andprevention, of cervical cancer which is the most common cancer affecting developing nations. This review encompasses the epigenetics of cervical cancer andthe recent discoveries till now in the field of the reversal of epigenetic changes, which in turn would lead to a significant step in the direction of therapy againstthis dreaded disease.