Journal of neurosurgery
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Journal of neurosurgery · Aug 2007
Malignant transformation-related genes in meningiomas: allelic loss on 1p36 and methylation status of p73 and RASSF1A.
Analysis of meningiomas supports the suggestion that loss of heterozygosity (LOH) of chromosome arm 1p plays an important role in malignancy. The aim of this study was to identify genes related to meningioma progression from the benign state to the atypical and anaplastic states by examining 1p LOH and the promoter methylation of RASSF1A and p73. ⋯ Based on the hypothesis that meningiomas cumulatively acquire genetic alterations and thus progress from the benign to the atypical and anaplastic states, genetic alterations in the methylation status of p73 or RASSF1A along with 1p LOH may result in the malignant transformation of a meningioma. This type of genetic fingerprint may play both diagnostic and therapeutic roles.