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World J Gastroenterol. Jun 28, 2006; 12(24): 3911-3914
Published online Jun 28, 2006. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v12.i24.3911
Circulating DNA level is negatively associated with the long-term survival of hepatocellular carcinoma patients
Ning Ren, Qing-Hai Ye, Lun-Xiu Qin, Bo-Heng Zhang, Yin-Kun Liu, Zhao-You Tang
Ning Ren, Qing-Hai Ye, Lun-Xiu Qin, Bo-Heng Zhang, Yin-Kun Liu, Zhao-You Tang, Liver Cancer Institute and Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 180 Feng Lin Road, Shanghai 200032, China
Author contributions: All authors contributed equally to the work.
Supported by the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, No. 30325041; General Program of National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 30371378; Key Program Project of National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 30430720; Key Program Project of Shanghai Science Technology Committee, No. 04JC14028
Correspondence to: Lun-Xiu Qin, Liver Cancer Institute and Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 180 Feng Lin Road, Shanghai 200032, China. lxqin@zshospital.com
Telephone: +86-21-64041990-3056 Fax: +86-21-64037181
Received: August 31, 2005
Revised: October 15, 2005
Accepted: October 26, 2005
Published online: June 28, 2006
Abstract

AIM: To quantify the circulating DNA in plasma from patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and to evaluate its prognostic value.

METHODS: Blood samples were collected from 79 patients with HCC before operation, 20 patients with liver cirrhosis, and 20 healthy volunteers. Circulating DNA was extracted from plasma and quantified. The association between circulating DNA level and prognosis of HCC patients was evaluated.

RESULTS: Compared with the healthy volunteers (17.6 ± 9.5 ng/mL), a significant higher circulating DNA level was found in the patients with HCC (47.1 ± 43.7 ng/mL, P = 0.000) or with liver cirrhosis (30.0 ± 13.3 ng/mL, P = 0.002). The circulating DNA level was closely associated with tumor size (P = 0.008) and TNM stage (P = 0.040), negatively associated with the 3-year disease-free survival (DFS) (P = 0.017) and overall survival (OS) (P = 0.001).

CONCLUSION: Large or invasive tumor may release more circulating DNA, and higher level of circulating DNA may be associated with poor prognosis of HCC patients.

Keywords: Hepatocellular carcinoma; Prognosis; Circulating DNA