title: Quantitative analysis of plasma cell-free DNA and its DNA integrity in patients with metastatic prostate cancer using ALU sequence.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Prostate cancer (PC) is the most common cancer affecting men, it accounts for 29% of all male cancer and 11% of all male cancer related death. DNA is normally released from an apoptotic source which generates small fragments of cell-free DNA, whereas cancer patients have cell-free circulating DNA that originated from necrosis, autophagy, or mitotic catastrophe, which produce large fragments.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Differentiate the cell free DNA levels (cfDNA) and its integrity in prostate cancer patients and control group composed of benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) and healthy persons.
  
  
  METHODS
  cf-DNA levels were quantified by real-time PCR amplification in prostate cancer patients (n= 50), (BPH) benign prostate hyperplasia (n= 25) and healthy controls (n= 30) using two sets of ALU gene (product size of 115bp and 247-bp) and its integrity was calculated as a ratio of qPCR results of 247bp ALU over 115bp ALU.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Highly significant levels of cf-DNA and its integrity in PC patients compared to BPH. Twenty-eight (56%) patients with prostate cancer had bone metastasis. ALU115 qpcr is superior to the other markers in discriminating metastatic patients with a sensitivity of 96.4% and a specificity of 86.4% and (AUC=0.981) CONCLUSION: ALU115 qpcr could be used as a valuable biomarker helping in identifying high risk patients, indicating early spread of tumor cells as a potential seed for future metastases.
authors.affiliation: Department of clinical and Chemical Pathology, National Cancer Institute, Cairo University, Egypt. Electronic address: amalfawzy69@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Amal
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Fawzy
authors.affiliation: Department of Women's College for Arts, Science and Education, Ain Shams University, Egypt.
authors.forename: Karima M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Sweify
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Faculty of Medicine Kasr Al-Ainy, Cairo University, Egypt.
authors.forename: Hany M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: El-Fayoumy
authors.affiliation: Department of Women's College for Arts, Science and Education, Ain Shams University, Egypt.
authors.forename: Nagwa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Nofal
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D020087:Alu Elements / Q000235:genetics*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000097:blood* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D011379:Prognosis; D011470:Prostatic Hyperplasia / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm
keywords: ALU sequence; Cancer prostate; DNA integrity; Plasma cell-free DNA