DLEC1 is not silenced solely by promoter methylation in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Different types of genetic and epigenetic changes are associated with HNSCC. The molecular mechanisms of HNSCC carcinogenesis are still undergoing intensive investigation. The Deleted in lung and esophageal cancer 1 (DLEC1) gene is frequently silenced by methylation in various kinds of cancer. However, there is no data in the literature investigating the DLEC1 gene in the HNSCC. Tumor tissues from 97 patients were analyzed by real-time quantitative RT-PCR and DLEC1 expression levels were correlated with the methylation of the DLEC1 gene promoter. A statistically significant down-regulation was observed in tumors compared to non-cancerous tissue samples (p = 0.00). However, this down-regulation was not directly associated with hypermethylation of the promoter (p ≥ 0.05). Our results indicate that the DLEC1 gene may play an important role in the development of HNSCC. However, its down-regulation is not associated with the clinicopathological parameters and is not solely under the control of promoter methylation.