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Free Circulating DNA: Good As a Diagnostic Marker in Lung Cancer?

Department of Medical Oncology, Numune Education and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey
Department of Medical Oncology, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey
Department of Radiation Oncology, Ankara Oncology Hospital, Ankara, Turkey

To the Editor:

We read with great interest the article by Sozzi et al¹ concerning the analysis of circulating DNA in plasma for earlier lung cancer detection. This study showed that higher levels of free circulating DNA can be detected in patients with lung cancer compared with disease-free heavy smokers, by a polymerase chain reaction assay. We want to discuss three important points in this article. One is that circulating DNA that was measured as human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) gene is not specific to non–small-cell lung cancer. Secondly, benign diseases other than malignant disease also cause an increase in circulating DNA levels, and this issue must be discussed. Circulating DNA values must also be compared with stages of lung cancer. Box plots of plasma DNA concentration in non–small-cell lung cancer patients and matched controls showed that some of the circulating DNA values in both groups are overlapping, which means that specificity decreases in these cases.

Authors' Disclosures of Potential Conflicts of Interest

The authors indicated no potential conflicts of interest.

REFERENCE

1. Sozzi G, Conte D, Leon M, et al: Quantification of free circulating DNA as a diagnostic marker in lung cancer. J Clin Oncol 21:3902-3908, 2003[Abstract/Free Full Text]

Related Reply

• In Reply:
  Ugo Pastorino, Luca Roz, Gabriella Sozzi, and MariaElena Leon
  JCO 2004 22: 3202 [Full Text]

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• Quantification of Free Circulating DNA As a Diagnostic Marker in Lung Cancer
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  JCO 2003 21: 3902-3908 [Abstract] [Full Text]

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