The TERT hypermethylated oncologic region predicts recurrence and survival in pancreatic cancer.

Aim: We explore the biomarker potential of the TERT hypermethylated oncologic region (THOR) in pancreatic cancer.

Materials & Methods: We assessed the methylation status of THOR using the cancer genome atlas data on the cohort of pancreatic cancer (n = 193 patients).

Results: THOR was significantly hypermethylated in pancreatic tumor tissue when compared with the normal tissue used as control (p < 0.0001). Also, THOR hypermethylation could distinguish early stage I disease from normal tissue and was associated with worse prognosis.

Discussion:  We found that THOR is hypermethylated in pancreatic tumor tissue when compared with normal tissue and that THOR methylation correlates with TERT expression in tumor samples.

Conclusion: Our preliminary findings support the diagnostic and prognostic values of THOR in pancreatic cancer.