Applicability of the methylated CpG sites of paired box 5 (PAX5) promoter for prediction the prognosis of gastric cancer

Paired box gene 5 (PAX5), a member of the paired box gene family, is involved in control of organ development and tissue differentiation. In previous study, PAX5 promoter methylation was found in gastric cancer (GC) cells and tissues. At present study, we found that the inconsistently methylated levels of PAX5 promoter were identified in the different GC tissues. The methylated CpG site count and the methylated statuses of four CpG sites (-236, -183, -162, and -152) were significantly associated with the survival of 460 GC patients, respectively. Ultimately, the methylated CpG -236 was the optimal prognostic predictor of patients identified by using the Cox regression with AIC value calculation. These findings indicated that the methylated CpG -236 of PAX5 promoter has the potential applicability for clinical evaluation the prognosis of GC.