Genome-wide DNA methylation signature predict clinical benefit of bevacizumab in non-small cell lung cancer

BACKGROUND: The efficacy of bevacizumab in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients is unsatisfactory, and the selection of suitable patients is still challenging. Given the epigenetic modifications can contribute to an aberrant regulation of angiogenesis and microenvironment, we investigated DNA methylation profiles to determine clinical benefit of bevacizumab in NSCLC patients. METHODS: Genome-wide DNA methylation profiling was performed in NSCLC patients treated with chemotherapy in combination with bevacizumab. Patients were divided into better prognosis group (A group) and inferior prognosis group (B group) based on their survival. The difference of methylation patterns and respective functional enrichment analysis were performed between two groups. Prognostic DNA methylation signature for bevacizumab was established with the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression analyses. TISIDB database was further used to infer immunological relationship for prognostic related DNA methylation. RESULTS: Twenty patients were included in this study, and significantly distinct methylation patterns were observed between patients with different prognosis. Related genes of different methylation regions were significantly enriched in the biological process of cell projection assembly, neutrophil mediated immunity, and pathway of VEGFA-VEGFR2 signaling pathway, neutrophil degranulation. A 10-gene DNA methylation signature for prognosis prediction was established with the C-index of 0.76. And host genes of signature were found to be related to the abundance of ActCD4, Th1, ActCD8, NKT and neutrophil cells. CONCLUSION: The 10-gene DNA methylation signature could serve as a novel biomarker to predict the clinical benefit of bevacizumab therapy and improve this anti-tumor approach for NSCLC patients. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12885-022-09918-1.