Epigenetics makes its mark on women-specific cancers—an opportunity to redefine oncological approaches?

Over the past decade it has become clear that cancer is an epigenetic and a genetic disease. While we have begun to understand the impact of variations in the DNA sequence on cancer development, it is only more recently that we have appreciated the significant contribution of the epigenome to carcinogenesis and cancer biology. Twin studies demonstrate that genetics makes little contribution to the development of women-specific cancers and that the ‘epigenome,’ the interphase between genome and environment, is likely to confer the largest component of risk. Epigenetic factors can therefore act as surrogate markers of disease risk that could potentially facilitate tailored treatment and refine preventive measures. This review focuses attention on DNA methylation—a core epigenetic mechanism that can be readily detected in body fluids and has the potential to substantially reform cancer screening and treatment.

► Women’s cancer management suffers from a lack of risk predicting tools, late stage diagnosis and a blanketed treatment approach.
► Tools to study significant contributions of the epigenome to carcinogenesis and cancer biology have only recently become available.
► Analysis of DNA methylation in cells and body fluids could potentially reform cancer risk prediction, screening and treatment.