Plasma cfDNA is a Potential Biomarker of Effectiveness of Chemotherapy for Gastric Cancer
In patients with gastric cancer, plasma cfDNA concentration is significantly increased and is has better diagnostic efficacy than traditional tumor markers, according to an article in the journal Cancer Management and Research.
To determine the clinical significance of plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA) as a possible biomarker for advanced gastric cancer, research analyzed 106 patients with gastric cancer who were receiving chemotherapy and 40 healthy volunteers as a control group.
In patients receiving chemotherapy, cfDNA concentration was significantly higher than that in healthy controls (P < 0.05). In patients whose disease progressed, the concentration of plasma cfDNA increased over time whereas patients who had partial response to treatment experienced a decreasing concentration of plasma cfDNA over time. Patients with stable disease, had a stable trend in concentration.
The authors concluded that, “Plasma cfDNA concentration was significantly increased in patients with gastric cancer, and its diagnostic efficacy was superior to that of traditional tumor markers. It can be used as a tumor biomarker to monitor the efficacy of chemotherapy for gastric cancer.”
Reference
Zhong Y, Fan Q Zhou Z, et al. Plasma cfDNA as a potential biomarker to evaluate the efficacy of chemotherapy in gastric cancer. Cancer Manag Res. 2020; (12):3099-3106.
