By Admin at 23 Nov 2015, 09:10 AM

Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is being increasingly used as a non-invasive way to track a person’s cancer and potentially lead to improved treatment. While tumor DNA has long been used to diagnose cancer via a tissue biopsy, ctDNA is found in the bloodstream and therefore can be detected using a non-invasive blood test (known as “liquid biopsy).

In a study published in the journal Nature Communications, researchers found that 43 percent of pancreatic cancer patients had ctDNA in their blood when they were diagnosed.

When ctDNA was detected following pancreatic cancer surgery, it was associated with clinical relapse and poor outcome. However, cancer recurrence was detected 6.5 months sooner using liquid biopsy than with standard CT imaging, which would allow for earlier treatment and potentially improved outcomes.

The study also revealed certain genes that are associated with improved survival among pancreatic cancer patients. The researchers used whole-exome sequencing to analyze 24 tumors and targeted genomic analysis to assess 77 tumors.

Mutations in several chromatin-regulating genes (MLL, MLL2, MLL3 and ARID1A) were found in 20 percent of patients and were associated with improved survival. (Chromatin is a complex of genetic material including DNA and proteins, which form chromosomes).

According to the researchers, “We observe alterations in genes with potential therapeutic utility in over a third of cases.” It’s possible, for instance, that one day liquid biopsy may be used to diagnose early-stage pancreatic cancer as well as help physicians decide on the best course of treatment. Dr. Daniel D. Von Hoff of the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), one of the authors of the study, told Science Daily:

"These observations provide predictors of outcomes in patients with pancreatic cancer and have implications for detection of tumor recurrence, and perhaps someday for early detection of the cancer.

… We have identified MML genes as markers of improved prognosis for patients with pancreatic cancer … We have also shown that ctDNA in the blood of pancreatic cancer patients may provide a marker of earlier detection of recurrence of the disease."

November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, which is devoted to raising awareness about this often-deadly disease. Pancreatic cancer is the only major cancer with a five-year survival rate in the single digits (7 percent), which is why the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network has a goal of doubling survival in the coming years.

Purple is the color of hope for pancreatic cancer. If you see people wearing purple, using purple emojis on social media or hanging purple ribbons this month, it’s because they’re involved in waging hope against pancreatic cancer.

Sources:
Nature Communications July 7, 2015
Science Daily August 20, 2015
Pancreatic Cancer Action Network

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