CpG Island Methylator Phenotype Association with Elevated Serum α-Fetoprotein Level in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP) involves hypermethylation targeted toward the promoters of multiple genes. To gain insight into the role of epigenetic aberration of tumor-related genes in hepatocarcinogenesis, we determined a hypermethylation profile in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).We examined the promoter methylation status of nine genes in 50 HCCs, 50 paired nontumor tissues, and 6 normal liver tissues by methylation-specific PCR....