Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41808476›Full record

ArticleJournal of the National Cancer Institute2026

Methylation signatures distinguish non-small cell lung cancer subtypes and are associated with survival in smokers with lung squamous cell carcinoma.

Hyeyeun Lim, Jinyoung Byun, Robert T Ripley, Jiyeon Choi, Chao Cheng, Aaron P Thrift, Younghun Han, Christopher I Amos

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Hyeyeun LimSection of Epidemiology and Population Sciences, Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States.ORCID 0000-0001-5568-7549
Jinyoung ByunUniversity of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center, Albuquerque, NM, United States.ORCID 0000-0001-8579-1435
Robert T RipleyDan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States.ORCID 0000-0003-0053-307X
Jiyeon ChoiDivision of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-0955-2384
Chao ChengSection of Epidemiology and Population Sciences, Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-5002-3417
Aaron P ThriftSection of Epidemiology and Population Sciences, Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-0084-5308
Younghun HanUniversity of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center, Albuquerque, NM, United States.ORCID 0000-0001-5048-8479
Christopher I AmosUniversity of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center, Albuquerque, NM, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-8540-7023

Funding

Translating Molecular and Clinical Data to Population Lung Cancer Risk AssessmentU19CA203654 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO HEALTH SCIS CTR · PI Mattias Alexander Johansson · 2017 to 2026
$23.7M
Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of TexasNIH HHS U19CA203654Systems Epidemiology of Cancer Training RP210037
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionLung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) and lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) are the 2 major histologic subtypes of non-small cell lung cancer and differ in prognosis, biological behavior, and molecular characteristics. Although aberrant DNA methylation has been implicated in lung cancer and patient survival, systematic investigations of subtype-specific methylation signatures distinguishing these subtypes remain limited.

methodsWe identified DNA methylation signatures that distinguish LUSC from LUAD and evaluated their associations with survival among ever-smokers using data from The Cancer Genome Atlas, with independent validation in the CURELUNG cohort. Survival analyses assessed associations between a methylation-based score and patient survival. Integrative analyses incorporating mRNA expression, global proteomic profiles, and transcription factor (TF) motifs enrichment were performed to explore potential regulatory features associated with the identified methylation markers.

resultsEleven differentially methylated CpG sites distinguished LUSC and LUAD and demonstrated high classification accuracy in an independent validation cohort. Among LUSC cases, lower methylation scores (below the median) were associated with a 2.7-fold increased risk of mortality during the first 2 years of follow-up based on piecewise Cox regression models. Integrative analyses revealed subtype-specific differences in CALML3 expression and enrichment of TF binding motifs near the identified signatures, particularly C2H2 zinc-finger motifs.

conclusionThis study identified a subtype-specific DNA methylation signature that robustly distinguishes LUAD and LUSC and is associated with early survival among ever-smokers with LUSC. These findings highlight biologically meaningful epigenetic patterns that may contribute to histology-specific tumor behavior and provide a foundation for future mechanistic and biomarker development studies.

Indexed as

Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell LungCarcinoma, Squamous CellDNA MethylationLung NeoplasmsSmokingAgedBiomarkers, TumorCpG IslandsFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPrognosisSmokersBiomarkers, Tumor

Identifiers

PMID41808476
PMCPMC13339109

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.