Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 20, 2026
Cell-Free DNA Integrity Analysis in Urine Samples
Published on: January 5, 2017
Cell-free serum DNA in patients with bladder cancer: results of a prospective multicenter study
Stefan Hauser1, Monika Kogej, Guido Fechner
1Department of Urology and Paediatric Urology, University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany. stefan.hauser@ukb.uni-bonn.de
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.
