BACKGROUND/AIM: Cell-free DNA may serve as a biomarker for patients with cancer; we designed our study to determine its potential in patients with bladder cancer (BCA).
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Short β-actin (ACTB)-106 and large ACTB-384 fragments were quantified using real time PCR (RT-PCR); the ratio of ACTB-384/ACTB-106 was defined as DNA integrity. We analyzed the serum from 95 patients with and from 132 without BCA.
RESULTS: Patients with BCA had increased ACTB-106 levels and lower DNA integrity compared to patients without cancer. However, patients undergoing transurethral bladder resection (TURB) with histological exclusion of BCA had a similar ACTB-106 level and DNA integrity, as patients with BCA. Cell-free DNA was not correlated with smoker status, pT stage, grade or lymph node metastasis, or DNA integrity. There was a weak inverse correlation of age with DNA integrity in patients with BCA.
CONCLUSION: Analysis of serum cell-free DNA levels and fragmentation patterns are of limited value regarding the identification of patients with BCA.
Written by:
Hauser S, Kogej M, Fechner G, Von Ruecker A, Bastian PJ, Von Pezold J, Vorreuther R, Lümmen G, Müller SC, Ellinger J. Are you the author?
Department of Urology and Paediatric Urology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
Reference: Anticancer Res. 2012 Aug;32(8):3119-24.
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 22843882
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