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cfDNA as a Biomarker in Colorectal Cancer Surgery

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Researchers from the University of Brasília found that cfDNA levels increase nearly 3x during surgery and double post-surgery in colorectal cancer patients. Could this be the future of surgical outcome monitoring?

cfDNA as a Biomarker in Colorectal Cancer Surgery
How cell-free DNA (cfDNA) levels in the blood change before, during, and after colorectal cancer surgery were examined by researchers from the University of Brasília.
cfDNA levels dramatically rise during and after surgery. cfDNA may be useful to physicians in tracking patient outcomes and assessing the efficacy of surgeries. The study was published in the journal Oncotarget(1 Trusted Source
Assessment of cfDNA release dynamics during colorectal cancer surgery

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).

When cells die and disintegrate, tiny DNA fragments known as cfDNA are released into the circulation. While some cfDNA in cancer patients comes from tumor cells, most cfDNA in healthy people comes from normal cell turnover.

In cancers like lung, breast, and colorectal cancer, measuring cfDNA levels provides important information about a patient's health and is already being used to monitor therapy response and disease progression.

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide, affecting millions of people each year. Surgery is often the primary treatment, but up to 50% of patients experience cancer recurrence afterwards.

In this study, the research team, led by first author Mailson Alves Lopes and corresponding author Fabio Pittella-Silva, analyzed blood samples from 30 patients at three key time points: before, during, and after surgery.

It was found that cfDNA levels increased nearly threefold during surgery and doubled after surgery compared to pre-surgery levels. The increases were even higher in individuals over 60, those with preexisting conditions such as diabetes or heart disease, and patients with elevated levels of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), a common cancer marker.

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Patients with the highest cfDNA levels were those with larger or more aggressive tumors, likely due to greater tissue damage during surgery. Additionally, longer surgeries were linked to higher cfDNA levels.

These findings suggest that cfDNA could be a valuable, non-invasive biomarker for clinicians to monitor colorectal cancer patients. Tracking cfDNA levels may help better evaluate surgical outcomes and determine whether patients require closer follow-up care.

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While these findings are promising, further research is needed to standardize cfDNA testing and validate its usefulness. Larger studies could help establish cfDNA testing as a reliable tool for cancer care and postoperative monitoring, with the potential to become a routine part of clinical practice in the future.

Reference:
  1. Assessment of cfDNA release dynamics during colorectal cancer surgery - (https://www.oncotarget.com/article/28681/text/)


Source-Eurekalert


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