Combined DNA Methylation and Gastric Microbiome Marker Predicts Helicobacter pylori -Negative Gastric Cancer

While DNA methylation and gastric microbiome are each associated with gastric cancer (GC), their combined role in predicting GC remains unclear. This study investigated the potential of a combined DNA methylation and gastric microbiome signature to predict -negative GC. In this case-control study, we conducted quantitative methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction to measure the methylation levels of , , , , , and in the gastric mucosa from 75 -negative patients, including chronic gastritis (CG), intestinal metaplasia (IM), and GC. A combined analysis of DNA methylation and gastric microbiome, using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, was performed in 30 of 75 patients. The methylation levels of , , , , and were significantly higher in patients with GC than in controls (all q