Cell-free DNA as a liquid biopsy for early detection of gastric cancer

Abstract

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common malignant tumors with poor prognosis worldwide, mainly due to the lack of suitable modalities for population-based screening and early detection of this disease. Therefore, novel and less invasive tests with improved clinical utility are urgently required. The remarkable advances in genomics and proteomics, along with emerging new technologies for highly sensitive detection of genetic alterations, have shown the potential to map the genomic makeup of a tumor in liquid biopsies, in order to assist with early detection and clinical management. The present review summarize the current status in the identification and development of cell-free DNA (cfDNA)-based biomarkers in GC, and also discusses their potential utility and the technical challenges in developing practical cfDNA-based liquid biopsy for early detection of GC.

Keywords: cell-free DNA; circulating tumor DNA; gastric cancer; liquid biopsy; methylation.

Figure 1.

Overview of cfDNA in the early detection of GC through liquid biopsy. Circulating cfDNA provides a variety of clinically informative components. GC-associated changes can be detected through the analysis of cfDNA, including i) mutations; ii) copy number variants of genes; and iii) aberrations in DNA methylation. cfDNA, cell-free DNA; GC, gastric cancer.