Prevalence of mitochondrial DNA common deletion in patients with gliomas and meningiomas: A first report from a Malaysian study group

Abstract

Background: The 4977-bp common deletion (mtDNA4977) is a well-established mitochondrial genome alteration that has been described in various types of human cancers. However, to date, no studies on mtDNA4977 in brain tumors have been reported. The present study aimed to determine mtDNA4977 prevalence in common brain tumors, specifically, low- and high-grade gliomas (LGGs and HGGs), and meningiomas in Malaysian cases. Its correlation with clinicopathological parameters was also evaluated. Methods: A total of 50 patients with pathologically confirmed brain tumors (13 LGGs, 20 HGGs, and 17 meningiomas) were enrolled in this study. mtDNA4977 was detected by using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique and later confirmed via Sanger DNA sequencing. Results: Overall, mtDNA4977 was observed in 16 (32%) patients and it was significantly correlated with the type of tumor group and sex, being more common in the HGG group and in male patients. Conclusion: The prevalence of mtDNA4977 in Malaysian glioma and meningioma cases has been described for the first time and it was, indeed, comparable with previously published studies. This study provides initial insights into mtDNA4977 in brain tumor and these findings can serve as new data for the global mitochondrial DNA mutations database.