It is common to find differential rates of methylation among various cancers. Previous studies suggest that exposure to organochlorines, a major component of pesticides, leads to differential methylation, and thus ultimately plays a role in the development of cancers. Previous analysis has shown that males with high levels of organochlorines in their blood serum exhibit differential methylation of SNPs within the promoter of the gene HCK corresponding to differential gene expression. We study whether gender, age, the stage at presentation, and vital status are predictors for or are related to levels of DNA methylation for HCK, TERT, and DIO3 in colorectal cancer in both males and females. Clinical data from the Cancer Genome Atlas containing demographic and clinical factors for patients presenting cancerous tissue was used to populate a linear regression model. The model examined a relationship between the predictor variable and the response variable. Results from the analysis showed that only age seemed to be a predictor of differential methylation in the gene HCK in colorectal cancer (p=0.0592). Understanding exposure risks and resulting methylation of genes, as well as whether demographic and clinical factors are indicators of methylation, has clinical implications.
