Clinical trial NCT01360723: DNA Methylation and Arsenic-associated Urothelial Carcinoma
Official title: Comparison of DNA Methylation Between Urothelial Carcinoma and Healthy Controls
Study type: OBSERVATIONAL
Overall status: UNKNOWN
Conditions: Urothelial Carcinoma
Lead sponsor: China Medical University Hospital
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2011-05-26
Enrollment: 600
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 21
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Observational model: CASE_CONTROL
Time perspective: CROSS_SECTIONAL
Sampling method: NON_PROBABILITY_SAMPLE
Study population: This is a hosital-based case-control study. Patients with urothelial carcinoma are recruited by pathological verification of UC was done by routine urological practice including endoscopic biopsy or surgical resection of urinary tract tumors followed by histopathological examination by board-certified pathologists. Healthy controls without evidence of UC or any other malignancy were recurited including those receiving adult health examinations at China Medical University Hospital.

Brief summary: The investigators previously pointed out the significant association between urinary arsenic profiles and urothelial carcinoma (UC) risk through a 12-year follow-up study. Further, the investigators observed the increased UC risk in people with lower plasma folate and higher homocysteine than those with higher plasma folate and lower homocysteine in 2010. S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) is one factor included in one-carbon metabolism pathway and is the main donor of methyl group in cells. The ratio of SAM and its metabolite S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH) not only reflected the intake level of dietary folate but also demonstrated the extent of global DNA methylation. These factors might play important roles in UC carcinogenesis. The investigators would expect to take three years to explore the interactions among global DNA methylation, one-carbon metabolic pathway factors, urinary arsenic profiles, the polymorphisms and haplotype of Glycine N-methyltransferase (GNMT) and UC. In the first year, the investigators would measure the levels of plasma folate, homocysteine, SAM and SAH and evaluate the associations between these factors and UC risk. In the second year, the investigators would set up the method of immunohistochemistry stain and compare the differences between the global DNA methylation from bladder tissues and blood. In the last year, this investigators would analyze the GNMT gene polymorphism and haplotype variation. At the same time, the investigators would explore the impact of GNMT genetic variation and global DNA methylation on UC risk. Based on the results from our research, the investigators might propose that the decreased ratio of SAM/SAH resulted in UC risk increased. This mechanism might be through the changed levels of urinary arsenic profiles and global DNA methylation.


Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Clinical diagnosis of urothelial carcinoma
* The voluntary of participating the study

Exclusion Criteria:

* Age smaller than 20 years
* Pregnant women
* Not willing to participate the study because of their personal reasons

Primary outcomes:
measure: urothelial carcinoma
timeFrame: up to three years
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Taichung
country: Taiwan
facility: Department of Urology, China Medical University Hospital
Study officials:
affiliation: Department of Health risk Management, China Medical University
name: Chi-Jung Chung, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: