Concordance of DNA methylation profiles between breast core biopsy and surgical excision specimens containing ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). Homo sapiens

Whether DNA methylation in ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), measured in core biopsy and surgical specimens are similar, remains unclear. Here, we compared genome-scale DNA methylation measured in matched core biopsy and surgical specimens from DCIS, including specific DNA methylation biomarkers of subsequent invasive cancer. This study aims to compare genome-scale DNA methylation between core biopsies (in this GEO accession) and surgical specimens (previously published in GSE66313; see Overall Design below). Within-subject variability in DNA methylation was significantly lower than between-subject variability (all P 15%, and a pathway analysis of these CpGs indicated enrichment for genes related with wound healing. Our results indicate that DNA methylation measured in core biopsies are representative of the matched surgical specimens and suggest that DCIS biomarkers measured in core biopsies can inform clinical decision-making. Overall design: We compared genome-scale DNA methylation of 13 breast DCIS core biopsy samples (this accession) with previously published, matched surgical specimens (GSE66313).