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World J Gastroenterol. Jan 28, 2014; 20(4): 957-967
Published online Jan 28, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i4.957
Published online Jan 28, 2014. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v20.i4.957
Circulating and stool nucleic acid analysis for colorectal cancer diagnosis
Giulia De Maio, Claudia Rengucci, Wainer Zoli, Daniele Calistri, Biosciences Laboratory, Istituto Scientifico Romagnolo per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori IRCCS, Via Piero Maroncelli, 40-47014 Meldola, Italy
Author contributions: Calistri D, De Maio G and Rengucci C conceived the idea for the review and drafted the manuscript; Zoli W revised the paper critically for important intellectual content; all authors approved the final version of the manuscript.
Correspondence to: Daniele Calistri, PhD, Biosciences Laboratory, Istituto Scientifico Romagnolo per lo Studio e la Cura dei Tumori IRCCS, Via Piero Maroncelli, 40-47014 Meldola, Italy. d.calistri@irst.emr.it
Telephone: +39-0543-739229 Fax: +39-0543-739221
Received: September 26, 2013
Revised: December 5, 2013
Accepted: January 6, 2014
Published online: January 28, 2014
Revised: December 5, 2013
Accepted: January 6, 2014
Published online: January 28, 2014
Core Tip
Core tip: Although the importance of circulating free DNA is widely recognized, numerous studies evaluating its presence in blood and stool samples have reported analytic variability and non conforming approaches. Nonetheless, circulating free DNA has shown high potential as a biomarker for the early non-invasive detection of cancer and for monitoring disease progression. Population studies are now needed to confirm its usefulness for colorectal cancer diagnosis.