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Updated: Jul 2, 2026
Detection and Monitoring of Tumor Associated Circulating DNA in Patient Biofluids
Published on: June 8, 2019
Quantification of free circulating tumor DNA as a diagnostic marker for breast cancer
Raquel Catarino1, Maria M Ferreira, Helena Rodrigues
1Molecular Oncology Group and Virology Laboratory, Portuguese Institute of Oncology, Porto, Portugal.
Aim:
To determine whether the amounts of circulating DNA could discriminate between breast cancer patients and healthy individuals by using real-time PCR quantification methodology.
Methods:
Our standard protocol for quantification of cell-free plasma DNA involved 175 consecutive patients with breast cancer and 80 healthy controls.
Results:
We found increased levels of circulating DNA in breast cancer patients compared to control individuals (105.2 vs. 77.06 ng/mL, p < 0.001). We also found statistically significant differences in circulating DNA amounts in patients before and after breast surgery (105.2 vs. 59.0 ng/mL, p = 0.001). Increased plasma cell-free DNA concentration was a strong risk factor for breast cancer, conferring an increased risk for the presence of this disease (OR, 12.32; 95% CI, 2.09-52.28; p < 0.001).
Conclusions:
Quantification of circulating DNA by real-time PCR may be a good and simple tool for detection of breast cancer with a potential to clinical applicability together with other current methods used for monitoring the disease.
