Objective  This study has two objectives. One is to detect the methylation status of reversion-inducing cysteine-rich protein with Kazal motifs (RECK, a new tumor suppressor gene) gene promoter in primary laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma and normal laryngeal mucosa. The other is to analyze the correlation between RECK gene methylation status and radiosensitivity in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma.

  Methods  Methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction was used to detect the RECK gene methylation of 70 specimens of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma and 15 normal tissues of laryngeal mucosa. The patients underwent six cycles of radiotherapy and were followed-up for 5 years. The correlation between RECK gene methylation status and radiosensitivity in laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma was analyzed.

  Results  After six cycles of radiotherapy, 47 patients (67.14%) showed sensitivity and 23 (32.86%) showed tolerance to radiotherapy. The methylation level of the RECK gene was lower in the radiation-sensitive group than in the nonradiation-sensitive group (P < 0.05). The methylation level of the RECK gene was lower in the remission group than in the nonremission group. RECK gene methylation could increase the risk of cancer by approximately 5.010 times (OR=5.010, 95% CI: 1.616-15.533).

  Conclusion  RECK gene promoter methylation in human laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma is an early event that is correlated with the patient's sensitivity to radiotherapy. Thus, the patient's sensitivity to radiation can be predicted by detecting the methylation status of the RECK gene promoter.