title: Cell-free plasma DNA as biochemical biomarker for the diagnosis and follow-up of prostate cancer patients.
abstract: The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic and potential prognostic value of cell-free plasma DNA (CF-pDNA) in patients with suspected or histologically proven prostate cancer (PCa). We included 133 men with a diagnosis of PCa and 33 controls. PCa patients had blood samples prospectively drawn every 3 months for 2 years. CF-pDNA was measured by spectrophotometry. Considering a cut-off value of 140 ng/mL of CF-pDNA the area under the curve was of 0.824(0.757-0.879 with a sensitivity = 66.2 % and a specificity = 87.9 %) and the positive and negative likelihood ratio were of 5.46 and 0.39, respectively. CF-pDNA tends to decrease slightly and return to baseline values in about a week after biopsy. There was no statistical significant correlation between CF-pDNA levels at study entry with PSA, Gleason score, stage and biochemical recurrence free survival (BRFS). However, with a mean follow-up of 13.5 months, we could observe a significant shorter BRFS for patients with at least one value above 140 ng/mL of CF-pDNA during follow-up (p = 0.048). CF-pDNA is a potentially valuable biomarker for PCa diagnosis and a potential tool for the follow-up of patients with PCa.
authors.affiliation: Albert Einstein Jewish Hospital, São Paulo, Brazil, mwroclawski@terra.com.br.
authors.forename: Marcelo L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Wroclawski
authors.forename: Ary
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Serpa-Neto
authors.forename: Fernando L A
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Fonseca
authors.forename: Oseas
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Castro-Neves-Neto
authors.forename: Alexandre S F L
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Pompeo
authors.forename: Marcos T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Machado
authors.forename: Antonio C L
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Pompeo
authors.forename: Auro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: del Giglio
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D019540:Area Under Curve; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004247:DNA / Q000097:blood*; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007610:Kallikreins / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000401:mortality; D012372:ROC Curve
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D004247:DNA; C549870:KLK3 protein, human; D007610:Kallikreins; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen