title: Monitoring of plasma cell-free DNA in predicting postoperative recurrence of clear cell renal cell carcinoma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) mostly originates from tumors and its level correlates with treatment. We assessed whether the level of plasma cfDNA could help monitor recurrence after nephrectomy.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study included 92 patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (cRCC). Quantitative real-time PCR was used to measure the level of plasma cfDNA before and after nephrectomy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The pretreatment level of plasma cfDNA in patients with metastatic cRCC (6.04 ± 0.72) was significantly higher than in those with localized cRCC (5.29 ± 0.53, p = 0.017) or controls (0.65 ± 0.29, p < 0.001). Of patients with localized cRCC, those with recurrence had a significantly higher plasma cfDNA level than those without (p = 0.024). The patients with a high plasma cfDNA level had a significantly higher recurrence rate than those with a low plasma cfDNA level before and after nephrectomy (p = 0.018).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The level of plasma cfDNA may be useful as a tool to monitor patients during follow-up and guide further diagnostic work-up for the detection of recurrence.
authors.affiliation: Operation Center, Third Xiangya Hospital of Central-South University, Changsha, PR China.
authors.forename: JingJing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wan
authors.forename: LiJun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: ZhiQiang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Ke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cheng
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D002292:Carcinoma, Renal Cell / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002474:Cell-Free System; D004247:DNA / Q000097:blood*; D018572:Disease-Free Survival; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis*; D009392:Nephrectomy; D010950:Plasma Cells / Q000166:cytology; D011184:Postoperative Period; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012008:Recurrence
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D004247:DNA