Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 26, 2026
Obtaining Cancer Stem Cell Spheres from Gynecological and Breast Cancer Tumors
Published on: March 1, 2020
Role of circulating free alu DNA in endometrial cancer
Hideo Tanaka1, Hiroshi Tsuda, Sadako Nishimura
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan.
Background:
Endometrial cancer (EC) is the most common cancer of the female genital tract. However, no screening method for EC has been established yet. In this study, we evaluated the cell-free DNA in EC.
Methods:
Fifteen healthy individuals, 9 with benign gynecologic diseases, and 53 with ECs were included in this study. Alu sequences in free DNA fragments were used as surrogate markers, and cell-free DNA density was measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction.
Results:
The cell-free DNA levels in ECs tended to be higher than in benign condition (healthy individuals + benign gynecologic diseases, n = 24; P = 0.095). There was no significant difference in cell-free DNA among stage or histological grade of EC, and no significant change in cell-free DNA before and after operation (P = 0.25): Moreover, in 19 ECs, cell-free DNA decreased after operation, however, in 6 ECs, cell-free DNA did not decrease. Three ECs recurred, and cell-free DNA did not decrease in these cases.
Conclusions:
Measurement of cell-free DNA is not useful for EC screening; however, the change of cell-free DNA in a patient may be a prognostic biomarker of EC.
