Epigenetic and genetic alternation of PTEN in cervical neoplasm.

Objectives: We studied the role of epigenetic and genetic changes of PTEN in the development of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the uterine cervix and their value as a prognostic factor.

Methods: Ten high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN-H) and 62 SCC tissues were used in this study. Microdissection was performed before loss of PTEN function through methylation of promoter CpG islands, deletion and mutation were studied.