Circulating Tumor DNA as Biomarkers for Cancer Detection
- Author:
Han XIAO
1
;
Wang JUNYUN
;
Sun YINGLI
Author Information
1. CAS Key Laboratory of Genomic and Precision Medicine
- Keywords:
Precision medicine;
Liquid biopsy;
Circulating tumor DNA;
Biomarker;
Clinical diagnosis;
Cell-free nucleic acids
- From:
Genomics, Proteomics & Bioinformatics
2017;15(2):59-72
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Detection of circulating tumor DNAs (ctDNAs) in cancer patients is an important com-ponent of cancer precision medicine ctDNAs. Compared to the traditional physical and biochemical methods, blood-based ctDNA detection offers a non-invasive and easily accessible way for cancer diagnosis, prognostic determination, and guidance for treatment. While studies on this topic are currently underway, clinical translation of ctDNA detection in various types of cancers has been attracting much attention, due to the great potential of ctDNA as blood-based biomarkers for early diagnosis and treatment of cancers. ctDNAs are detected and tracked primarily based on tumor-related genetic and epigenetic alterations. In this article, we reviewed the available studies on ctDNA detection and described the representative methods. We also discussed the current understanding of ctDNAs in cancer patients and their availability as potential biomarkers for clin-ical purposes. Considering the progress made and challenges involved in accurate detection of speci-fic cell-free nucleic acids, ctDNAs hold promise to serve as biomarkers for cancer patients, and further validation is needed prior to their broad clinical use.
