Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2011 Jun;11(6):426-37.
doi: 10.1038/nrc3066. Epub 2011 May 12.

Cell-free nucleic acids as biomarkers in cancer patients

Heidi Schwarzenbach  1 , Dave S B Hoon, Klaus Pantel
Affiliations
Review

Cell-free nucleic acids as biomarkers in cancer patients

Heidi Schwarzenbach et al. Nat Rev Cancer. 2011 Jun.

Abstract

DNA, mRNA and microRNA are released and circulate in the blood of cancer patients. Changes in the levels of circulating nucleic acids have been associated with tumour burden and malignant progression. In the past decade a wealth of information indicating the potential use of circulating nucleic acids for cancer screening, prognosis and monitoring of the efficacy of anticancer therapies has emerged. In this Review, we discuss these findings with a specific focus on the clinical utility of cell-free nucleic acids as blood biomarkers.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Cancer Genet Cytogenet. 2010 Oct 1;202(1):1-10 - PubMed
    1. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2000 Apr;906:72-82 - PubMed
    1. J Mol Diagn. 2009 Jan;11(1):60-65 - PubMed
    1. J Surg Oncol. 2002 Feb;79(2):101-6 - PubMed
    1. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol. 2006 Jun;132(6):399-407 - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources