Prospective Study of Quantitation of Plasma DNA Levels in the Diagnosis of Malignant versus Benign Prostate Disease

• Published in: Clinical cancer research Vol. 11; no. 4; pp. 1394 - 1399
• Main Authors: BODDY, Jane L, GAL, Shira, MALONE, Peter R, HARRIS, Adrian L, WAINSCOAT, Jim S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia, PA American Association for Cancer Research 15-02-2005
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Antineoplastic agents; Biological and medical sciences; Centrifugation - methods; DNA - blood; DNA - isolation & purification; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Prospective Studies; Prostatic Diseases - blood; Prostatic Diseases - diagnosis; Prostatic Neoplasms - blood; Prostatic Neoplasms - diagnosis; Sensitivity and Specificity; Prospective; Biological fluid; Urinary system disease; Prostate disease; DNA; Diagnosis; Malignant tumor; Male genital diseases; Comparative study; Quantitative analysis; Blood plasma
• ISSN: 1078-0432; 1557-3265
• DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-04-1237

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the potential of cell-free DNA levels as a diagnostic marker for prostate cancer,
having first established the effect that blood sample processing has on this measurement.
Experimental Design: A total of 152 blood samples were collected prospectively from patients before their prostate biopsy and 25 from men in two
distinct control groups. Blood was processed to yield three components: one-spin plasma ( n = 68), two-spin plasma ( n = 152), and serum ( n = 56 ) samples.
Results: Having established the effect of sample preparation on the measured DNA level, the more reliable two-spin plasma sample was
used to determine the relationship between DNA and the presence of prostate cancer. Those patients with cancer ( n = 78) had a significantly higher level of DNA compared with the control groups ( P < 0.0001 and P < 0.0001). However, DNA levels in patients with a benign biopsy ( n = 74) were significantly higher than the 78 patients confirmed to have cancer ( P = 0.02).
Conclusions: We conclude that the sample type used in the quantitation of cell-free DNA has an effect on the level reported. Elevated
levels are present in the two-spin plasma samples of patients with prostate cancer compared with healthy controls but are
not of diagnostic value during the management of prostate cancer.