TERT Promoter Hypermethylation in Gastrointestinal Cancer: A Potential Stool Biomarker.

CONCLUSION: This proof-of-concept study suggests the feasibility of stool TERT promoter methylation analyses as an additional tool in noninvasive GIC screening. The Oncologist IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Induction of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) expression coupled with telomerase activation is essential for cancer development/progression, while aberrant TERT promoter methylation has been linked to TERT induction in oncogenesis. We identified two cancer-specific methylation sites (CpG1 and 2) in the TERT promoter in tumors from GIC patients. Methylated TERT promoter CpG sites 1 and 2 were detectable in patient stool, while only background levels were observed in healthy individuals. The sensitivity and specificity was comparable to other known stool methylation markers for GIC det...

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