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Updated: Feb 20, 2026
Cell-Free DNA Integrity Analysis in Urine Samples
Published on: January 5, 2017
Circulating Cell-Free DNA Levels in Patients with Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma
Keren Rouvinov1, Wilmosh Mermershtain1, Hadas Dresler2
1Department of Oncology, Soroka University Medical Center, and Faculty of the Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel.
Background:
Limited data about biomarkers are available to predict the outcomes of targeted therapy in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). Circulating cell-free DNA (CFD) is elevated in various cancers.
Patients And Methods:
We performed a prospective study of patients with mRCC who received targeted therapy in the Soroka Medical Center between 2013 and 2015. CFD levels were measured using a simple fluorometric assay. Blood samples for CFD were collected before treatment and at weeks 1, 4, 12, 18, and 24 of treatment. The normal cut-off level of CFD was defined as 800 ng/ml. The association of CFD with objective response, progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival was tested, with adjustment for known confounding risk factors.
Results:
A total of 23 patients were included; 18 were treated with first-line therapy and 5 with second- and third-line therapies. Patients with normal pretreatment CFD level had a better PFS versus patients with increased levels (p = 0.023). In multivariate analysis, factors associated with PFS were pretreatment CFD levels (p = 0.020) and Heng risk (p = 0.006).
Conclusions:
Elevated pretreatment CFD levels measured using a simple fluorometric assay may be associated with a worse PFS in patients with mRCC. A larger prospective study is warranted in order to validate our observation.
