Serum cell‐free DNA as a new biomarker in cutaneous T‐cell lymphoma

Abstract

Mycosis fungoides (MF) and Sezary syndrome (SS) are the most frequent type of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). 1 Most patients with MF generally follow a chronic course over decades and remain in the early stage for many years, but some patients progress to the advanced stage, where tumor cells disseminate to lymph nodes. 2 The median survival of advanced MF and SS patients is about 2.5 to 5.5 years, with a 5-year survival rate of 40% to 60%. This indicates that the prognosis gets severely poor when the disease progresses from early to advanced stage. 3 Serum levels of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), thymus and activation-regulated chemokine (TARC) and soluble IL-2 receptor (sIL-2R) are well known as biological markers of disease progression in CTCL. [4][5][6] Their blood levels increase with disease progression and are useful as indicators of therapeutic efficacy. [4][5][6] Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is another recently reported marker of disease activity in CTCL. 7 Serum NLR levels of 2.85 or higher at diagnosis has been reported to be associated with subsequent disease progression in MF patients. 7 Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) is a non-encapsulated form of DNA that exists outside the cells. Small amounts of cfDNA, mostly derived from hematopoietic cells, are present in healthy individuals. 8 Apoptosis is the most frequent event that determines the amount of cfDNA in the healthy blood or tissues. In tumor tissues where

Categorizing Extrachromosomal Circular DNA as Biomarkers in Serum of Cancer

“…In recent years, circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) has garnered a significant amount of attention as a biomarker for various cancers. Numerous studies have highlighted elevated serum cfDNA levels among cancer patients, with correlations established between these levels and prognosis as well as disease activity [16]. These studies indicate that in certain scenarios, alterations in cfDNA are detectable prior to cancer diagnosis, suggesting their potential as biomarkers to monitor the occurrence of cancer [17].…”