Newswise Certain fragments of DNA shed by tumors into the bloodstream can potentially be used to non-invasively screen for early-stage cancers, monitor responses to treatment and help explain why some cancers are resistant to therapies, according to results of an international study led by Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center investigators.

Analyzing blood samples from 640 patients with various cancers, the researchers used digital polymerase chain reaction-based technology (a sophisticated method of multiplying and measuring the number DNA molecules) to evaluate how well the DNA fragments predicted the presence of tumors in the patients.

The fragments, known as cell-free circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), were detected in the blood of more than 75 percent of patients with advanced cancers and in at least half of patients with localized, smaller tumors that had not spread outside of the organ where the cancer originated and still had the potential for cure.

Investigators say the work, published Feb. 19 in the journal Science Translational Medicine, provides strong evidence that ctDNA could be used as a personalized biomarker test and cancer screening tool.

Were already very good at treating and curing cancer when it is localized, says lead study author Chetan Bettegowda, M.D., Ph.D., an assistant professor of oncology and neurological surgery. But we wanted to develop a non-invasive technology to enhance detection of cancer at an early stage, and we feel this is an exciting starting point for further work using this method.

The most promising aspect is that ctDNA can identify early-stage cancers, adds one of the studys senior authors, Luis Diaz, M.D., associate professor of oncology and director of the Swim Across America Laboratory at Johns Hopkins.

Among study participants with metastatic cancers, researchers detected ctDNA in 82 percent of patients with solid tumors outside the brain (112 of 136 patients), including more than 75 percent of patients with advanced ovarian, colorectal, bladder, gastroesophageal, pancreatic, breast, hepatocellular, and head and neck cancers, as well as melanomas. Less than 50 percent of patients with medulloblastomas or metastatic cancers of the kidney, prostate or thyroid, and less than 10 percent of patients with gliomas, had detectable ctDNA.

Among 223 patients with localized tumors, researchers detected ctDNA in 55 percent of all patient samples, and in 73 percent of those with colorectal cancer, 57 percent of those with gastroesophageal cancer, 48 percent of those with pancreatic cancer and 50 percent of those with breast adenocarcinoma. Increasing levels of ctDNA correlated with the stage of cancer: 47 percent of patients with Stage I cancers of any type had detectable ctDNA, as did 55 percent of patients with Stage II cancers, 69 percent of patients with Stage III cancers, and 82 percent of patients with Stage IV cancers.

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DNA Shed by Tumors Show Promise for Non-Invasive Screening and Prognosis

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Quicker turnaround needed for DNA testing

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By Mark Wyland 5 p.m.Feb. 19, 2014

DNA evidence has become an increasingly powerful tool for solving crimes. Law enforcement officials use DNA to solve homicides and sexual assaults, and cold cases. Police detectives even collect DNA in burglaries.

But many police departments have large backlogs of DNA samples waiting for laboratory testing, leaving many victims in a state of flux and crimes unsolved.

The news over the weekend about the 23-year-old suspect arrested in San Marcos, who broke into an apartment complex and entered the bedrooms where young girls were sleeping, may not have been cleared up so quickly without DNA testing.

Because the suspect left blood behind, police were able to obtain a positive identification of the suspect and make the arrest. The suspect was known to San Diego County Sheriffs detectives and patrol deputies for his past activities. The suspects DNA was already in the police database, allowing a quick match.

DNA testing is an invaluable tool for law enforcement, as in the San Marcos case. But not all crimes are so easily solved.

The San Diego crime lab has struggled for years to clear up the backlog of DNA testing related to crimes. The crime lab recently received a $380,000 grant from the Department of Justices 2013 DNA Backlog Reduction Program.

More than $9 million was issued to law enforcement agencies throughout California to help keep up with cases involving DNA evidence. This needs to be a funding priority in the state budget.

There have been several attempts to legislatively address the backlog of DNA testing in the criminal justice system.

A 2010 bill by Assemblyman Anthony Portantino, AB 1017, would have required every law enforcement agency to report backlogs of DNA tests to the California Department of Justice. However, AB 1017 was vetoed because of cost concerns.

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Quicker turnaround needed for DNA testing

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