Abstract
BACKGROUND: Genomic methylation being used as a sensitive indicator for identifying oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDS) and oral cancer could be a viable option. DNA methylation is a potential approach for "cancer therapeutics" and can help researchers truly understand the genomic mechanism that leads to cancer. AIM: Investigation of genetic markers for predicting oral cancer progression and patient outcomes. METHODS AND MATERIALS: One hundred and twelve patients having oral premalignant lesions and malignant lesions were included in this study. Saliva samples were obtained for analysis of the expression of genetic markers, such as p16, DAP-K, and MGMT. The Illumina Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip (Illumina Inc., USA) would be used to assess genome-wide DNA methylation according to the manufacturer's instructions. RESULTS: Methylation of all the genes, that is, p16, DAP-K, and MGMT, was observed in 12.7% of oral cancer lesions. 41.94% of oral cancer lesions were found to have methylation of two genes. 13.23% cases were found to be associated with methylation of p16 and DAP-K, 12.12% cases were found to have methylation in the p16 and MGMT, and 15.27% cases of oral cancer lesions showed methylation of DAP-K and MGMT. CONCLUSION: Genetic markers, such as p53, DAP-K, and MGMT, can be used for predicting oral cancer progression and patient outcomes.