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. 2014 Mar;86(3):136-42.
doi: 10.4174/astr.2014.86.3.136. Epub 2014 Feb 24.

Circulating cell-free DNA as a promising biomarker in patients with gastric cancer: diagnostic validity and significant reduction of cfDNA after surgical resection

Kyongchol Kim  1 , Dong Gue Shin  2 , Min Koo Park  3 , Seung Hyuk Baik  4 , Tae Hee Kim  5 , Sanghee Kim  6 , Saeyoung Lee  7
Affiliations

Circulating cell-free DNA as a promising biomarker in patients with gastric cancer: diagnostic validity and significant reduction of cfDNA after surgical resection

Kyongchol Kim et al. Ann Surg Treat Res. 2014 Mar.

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study is to determine whether levels of circulating free DNA (cfDNA) increase according to cancer progression, whether they are restored after surgical resection, and to evaluate cfDNA in gastric cancer patients as a useful biomarker.

Methods: A case-control study design was used. Thirty gastric cancer patients and 34 healthy subjects were enrolled from two hospitals in South Korea. The plasma cfDNA of patients with gastric cancer were obtained before surgery and 24 hours after surgery, and then analyzed by a quantitative, real-time polymerase chain reaction. Plasma samples were also obtained from the control group.

Results: The mean levels of cfDNA in the healthy control group, patients with early gastric cancer, and with advanced gastric cancer were 79.78 ± 8.12 ng/mL, 106.88 ± 12.40 ng/mL, and 120.23 ± 10.08 ng/mL, respectively (P < 0.01). Sensitivity was 96.67% and specificity was 94.11% when the cutoff value was 90 ng/mL. Variables representing the tumor burden such as tumor size, T stage, TNM stage, and curative resection are also associated with the levels of cfDNA. The levels of cfDNA in the 24-hour-after-surgery group decreased significantly (112.17 ± 13.42 ng/mL vs. 77.93 ± 5.94 ng/mL, P < 0.001) compared to the levels of cfDNA in the preoperation group.

Conclusion: The changes in the levels of cfDNA can act as reliable biomarkers to detect cancer early, to predict tumor burden, estimate curative resection and even prognosis.

Keywords: Biological biomarker; Circulating free DNA; Gastric neoplasms.

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Conflict of interest statement

No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Comparison of circulating free DNA among healthy subjects (white), early gastric cancer (EGC) groups (gray), and advanced gastric cancer (AGC, black) groups.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of circulating free DNA between cancer patients and healthy controls. AUC, area under the curve.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Comparison of mean circulating free DNA levels between pre- and postoperation in patients with gastric cancer.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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