Role of Helicobacter pylori infection in aberrant DNA methylation along multistep gastric carcinogenesis

CpG island hypermethylation is frequently found during gastric carcinogenesis. We investigated methylation profiles of p16, LOX, HAND1, THBD, p41ARC, and APC along multistep gastric carcinogenesis and determined their association with Helicobacter pylori infection. Methylation levels in these six genes were evaluated in noncancerous gastric biopsy specimens using quantitative methylation‐specific PCR in 459 patients with gastric cancer (GC), 137 with dysplasia, and 248 controls. Controls were divided into four subgroups sorted by current H. pylori infection status (active vs past or negative infection) and the presence of intestinal metaplasia (IM). In controls, active H. pylori infection significantly increased methylation levels in THBD, LOX, and HAND1 (all P