The EACR’s ‘Highlights in Cancer Research’ is a regular summary of the most interesting and impactful recent papers in cancer research, curated by the Board of the European Association for Cancer Research (EACR).
The list below appears in no particular order, and the summary information has been provided by the authors unless otherwise indicated.
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Mattox, A., K. et al. Cancer Discovery. 13: 2166–79 (2023).
doi: doi.org/10.1158/2159-8290.CD-21-1252 .
Summary of the findings
Summary of the findingsStudies over the past several decades have demonstrated that cell free DNA (cfDNA) concentrations from patients with cancer are often elevated above the levels of patients without cancer. However, the sources of this “extra” cfDNA have not been determined. To better define the source of this extra cfDNA, we assessed cfDNA methylation patterns in 178 patients with cancers of the colon, pancreas, lung, or ovary, as well as 64 patients without cancer. We found that leukocytes, not the primary tumor or surrounding normal epithelial cells from the cancer’s tissue of origin, contributed the majority of cfDNA in nearly all samples, regardless of total cfDNA concentration. These findings were also true in ostensibly healthy individuals that had high levels of cfDNA. These data suggest that cancers have a systemic effect on cell turnover or DNA clearance.
