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DNA Integrity Index: Future for cancer detection?

6 Jul 2011

DNA is the repository of genetic information in each living cell, its integrity and stability is essential to life. Small amounts of free DNA circulate in both healthy and diseased human plasma/serum and increased concentrations of DNA are present in the plasma of cancer patients.

Tumour released DNA in blood represents a promising biomarker for cancer detection. Several studies have identified DNA alterations in circulating plasma DNA from cancer patients that match with genetic changes present in primary tumours and it has been postulated that tumour necrosis causes release of DNA of varying sizes, which contrasts apoptosis in normal tissue that releases smaller and more uniform DNA fragments.

DNA integrity index represented by the ratio of longer fragments to shorter DNA; may be clinically useful used as surrogate for detection of tumours. Read on.