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Cell‐free DNA — Minimally invasive marker of hematological malignancies
Author(s) -
Kubaczkova Veronika,
Vrabel David,
Sedlarikova Lenka,
Besse Lenka,
Sevcikova Sabina
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
european journal of haematology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 84
eISSN - 1600-0609
pISSN - 0902-4441
DOI - 10.1111/ejh.12925
Subject(s) - minimal residual disease , cell free fetal dna , liquid biopsy , epigenetics , biopsy , medicine , genetic heterogeneity , somatic evolution in cancer , cancer research , pathology , oncology , biology , cancer , bone marrow , gene , phenotype , genetics , pregnancy , fetus , prenatal diagnosis
Although tumor cells are the most reliable source of tumor DNA , biopsy of the tumor is an invasive procedure that should be avoided in some cases. The main limitation of any biopsy is sampling of one tumor site, which may not represent all malignant clones due to the heterogeneity of the tumor. These clones respond to treatment differently and thus directly influence survival of the patient. Circulating cell‐free DNA (cf DNA ) is released from multiple tumor sites, reflects overall heterogeneity of the tumor, and correlates with its progression. Detection of tumor‐specific genetic and epigenetic aberrations in cf DNA could have a direct impact on molecular diagnosis, prognosis, follow‐up of disease, monitoring of minimal residual disease, and response to treatment. While most cf DNA data are still experimental, they are very promising. This review focuses on cf DNA in hematological malignancies.