A murine xenograft model of spontaneous metastases of human lung adenocarcinoma.

Background: The flank is commonly used for primary xenografts in mice, but it is rare for these tumors to metastasize. Tail vein injection creates a pattern of metastases, but is artificial. We hypothesized that the liver is a convenient alternative xenograft site and that metastases would gradually proceed spontaneously.

Single-tube analysis of DNA methylation with silica superparamagnetic beads.

Background: DNA promoter methylation is a signature for the silencing of tumor suppressor genes. Most widely used methods to detect DNA methylation involve 3 separate, independent processes: DNA extraction, bisulfite conversion, and methylation detection via a PCR method, such as methylation-specific PCR (MSP). This method includes many disconnected steps with associated losses of material, potentially reducing the analytical sensitivity required for analysis of challenging clinical samples.

DNA methylation markers and early recurrence in stage I lung cancer.

Background: Despite optimal and early surgical treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), many patients die of recurrent NSCLC. We investigated the association between gene methylation and recurrence of the tumor.

Methods: Fifty-one patients with stage I NSCLC who underwent curative resection but who had a recurrence within 40 months after resection (case patients) were matched on the basis of age, NSCLC stage, sex, and date of surgery to 116 patients with stage I NSCLC who underwent curative resection but who did not have a recurrence within 40 months after resection (controls).