Evaluation of MGMT Gene Methylation in Neuroendocrine Neoplasms
Rosa Della Monica*1, Mariella Cuomo*†1, Roberta Visconti‡, Annabella di Mauro§, Michela Buonaiuto*,
Davide Costabile*†, Giulia De Riso†, Teodolinda Di Risi*, Elia Guadagno¶, Roberto Tafuto#,
Sabrina Lamia**, Alessandro Ottaiano††, Paolo Cappabianca#, Maria Laura Del Basso de Caro¶, Fabiana Tatangelo§, Juergen Hench‡‡, Stephan Frank‡‡, Salvatore Tafuto**, Lorenzo Chiariotti*†
Oncology Research, Vol.28, No.9, pp. 837-845, 2020, DOI:10.3727/096504021X16214197880808
Abstract Unresectable neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs) often poorly respond to standard therapeutic approaches.
Alkylating agents, in particular temozolomide, commonly used to treat high-grade brain tumors including glioblastomas, have recently been tested in advanced or metastatic NENs, where they showed promising response
rates. In glioblastomas, prediction of response to temozolomide is based on the assessment of the methylation
status of the MGMT gene, as its product, O6
-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase, may counteract the damaging effects of the alkylating agent. However, in NENs, such a biomarker has not been validated yet. Thus, we
have investigated MGMT methylation in 42 NENs of… More >