{"title":"A diagnostic model for non-invasive urothelial cancer early detection based on methylation of urinary tumor DNA.","authors":"Ningning Wu, Zhen Wu, Yanwen Wang, Anqi Zhang, Yongfei Peng, Yan Cheng, Hongsong Lei, Siwen Liu, Jie Zhao, Tianbao Li, Guangpeng Zhou","doi":"10.1186/s12935-025-03766-2","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Diagnostic methods for urothelial cancer (UC) are often invasive, while urinary cytology, a non-invasive alternative, suffers from limited sensitivity. This study aimed to identify differentially methylated markers in urinary tumor DNA and develop a diagnostic method to enhance the sensitivity of non-invasive UC detection.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Whole-genome bisulfite sequencing and deep methylation sequencing were employed to identify significantly hypermethylated UC-associated genes in clinical samples and public UC datasets. Further screening was conducted using tumor biopsies and urine samples from patients, leading to the selection of three hypermethylated UC markers. A diagnostic model based on these markers was constructed and validated in a cohort (N = 432) comprising patients with UC, other cancers, benign lesions, and non-UC urinary tract diseases.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Validation in a cohort of 432 subjects demonstrated that the UC diagnostic model, incorporating three hypermethylated markers (VIM, TMEM220, and PPM1N), achieved an overall sensitivity of 94.44% in 108 UC patients. Specificities were 96.34%, 90.76%, and 87.72% in 191 non-neoplastic individuals, 76 patients with benign lesions, and 57 patients with other cancers, respectively, resulting in an overall specificity of 93.52%. Methylation level analysis revealed significantly higher methylation (P < 0.001) for three markers in UC samples compared to non-UC samples. Furthermore, the model exhibited sensitivities of 80% and 88.57% for detecting stage 0a/0is and stage I UC, respectively.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The UC diagnostic model demonstrates excellent diagnostic performance, particularly in the early detection of UC. This non-invasive approach, characterized by high sensitivity and specificity, holds significant potential for further clinical evaluation and development as a reliable tool for UC diagnosis using urine samples.</p>","PeriodicalId":9385,"journal":{"name":"Cancer Cell International","volume":"25 1","pages":"148"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3000,"publicationDate":"2025-04-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12001437/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Cancer Cell International","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12935-025-03766-2","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ONCOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Diagnostic methods for urothelial cancer (UC) are often invasive, while urinary cytology, a non-invasive alternative, suffers from limited sensitivity. This study aimed to identify differentially methylated markers in urinary tumor DNA and develop a diagnostic method to enhance the sensitivity of non-invasive UC detection.
Methods: Whole-genome bisulfite sequencing and deep methylation sequencing were employed to identify significantly hypermethylated UC-associated genes in clinical samples and public UC datasets. Further screening was conducted using tumor biopsies and urine samples from patients, leading to the selection of three hypermethylated UC markers. A diagnostic model based on these markers was constructed and validated in a cohort (N = 432) comprising patients with UC, other cancers, benign lesions, and non-UC urinary tract diseases.
Results: Validation in a cohort of 432 subjects demonstrated that the UC diagnostic model, incorporating three hypermethylated markers (VIM, TMEM220, and PPM1N), achieved an overall sensitivity of 94.44% in 108 UC patients. Specificities were 96.34%, 90.76%, and 87.72% in 191 non-neoplastic individuals, 76 patients with benign lesions, and 57 patients with other cancers, respectively, resulting in an overall specificity of 93.52%. Methylation level analysis revealed significantly higher methylation (P < 0.001) for three markers in UC samples compared to non-UC samples. Furthermore, the model exhibited sensitivities of 80% and 88.57% for detecting stage 0a/0is and stage I UC, respectively.
Conclusions: The UC diagnostic model demonstrates excellent diagnostic performance, particularly in the early detection of UC. This non-invasive approach, characterized by high sensitivity and specificity, holds significant potential for further clinical evaluation and development as a reliable tool for UC diagnosis using urine samples.
期刊介绍:
Cancer Cell International publishes articles on all aspects of cancer cell biology, originating largely from, but not limited to, work using cell culture techniques.
The journal focuses on novel cancer studies reporting data from biological experiments performed on cells grown in vitro, in two- or three-dimensional systems, and/or in vivo (animal experiments). These types of experiments have provided crucial data in many fields, from cell proliferation and transformation, to epithelial-mesenchymal interaction, to apoptosis, and host immune response to tumors.
Cancer Cell International also considers articles that focus on novel technologies or novel pathways in molecular analysis and on epidemiological studies that may affect patient care, as well as articles reporting translational cancer research studies where in vitro discoveries are bridged to the clinic. As such, the journal is interested in laboratory and animal studies reporting on novel biomarkers of tumor progression and response to therapy and on their applicability to human cancers.