Differential expression and clinical significance of DNA methylation in skin cancer

doi:10.13418/j.issn.1001-165x.2025.4.21

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Chinese Journal of Clinical Anatomy ›› 2025, Vol. 43 ›› Issue (4) : 486-490. DOI: 10.13418/j.issn.1001-165x.2025.4.21

Differential expression and clinical significance of DNA methylation in skin cancer

Tang Yaping, Huang Yixiao, Wang Lumei, Chen Yinghua*

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Abstract

Recent epigenetic studies demonstrate that DNA methylationa key regulatory mechanism modulates tumor related gene expression and drives the development, progression, and metastasis of skin cancer. This review summarizes evidence on how methylation levels of key genes (CLDN11, MGMT, PTCH1, ID4) drive progression in melanoma, basal cell carcinoma (BCC), and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) the three predominant skin malignancies-and evaluates the clinical utility of methylation detection techniques for diagnosis and treatment. The article also discusses emerging therapeutic strategies targeting DNA methylation and elucidates critical methylated genes with their underlying mechanisms, providing a theoretical foundation for early detection, molecular subtyping, and targeted therapy of skin cancer.

Key words

DNA methylation / / / Skin cancer / / / / Aberrant methylation / / / / Diagnostic indicators

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Tang Yaping, Huang Yixiao, Wang Lumei, Chen Yinghua. Differential expression and clinical significance of DNA methylation in skin cancer[J]. Chinese Journal of Clinical Anatomy. 2025, 43(4): 486-490 https://doi.org/10.13418/j.issn.1001-165x.2025.4.21

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