Cell-Free DNA-Methylation-Based Methods and Applications in Oncology.

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Molecular Biology
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) liquid biopsy enables non-invasive cancer assessment.
• DNA methylation (DNAm) analysis in cfDNA is a promising biomarker due to its specificity and prevalence.
• Established cfDNA assays exist for genomic analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent advances in experimental strategies for cfDNA DNAm analysis.
• To describe DNAm-based analysis workflows, including pre-analytics, DNA treatment, assays, and data analysis.
• To provide an overview of studies utilizing cfDNA DNAm biomarkers for cancer detection, monitoring, drug resistance evaluation, and cell-of-origin identification.

Main Methods:

• Review of experimental strategies for DNAm analysis in cfDNA.
• Description of DNAm-based analysis workflows.
• Overview of existing studies and approved clinical tests.

Main Results:

• Recent advances in cfDNA DNAm analysis strategies are presented.
• Detailed workflows for DNAm evaluation in cfDNA are described, including practical considerations.
• Existing studies demonstrate the utility of cfDNA DNAm biomarkers for various clinical applications.

Conclusions:

• cfDNA DNAm analysis is a powerful tool for non-invasive cancer management.
• The described methods and strategies facilitate the clinical application of cfDNA DNAm biomarkers.
• DNAm-based liquid biopsy tests show potential for approved clinical use in oncology.