Distant metastases harbor unique genomic characteristics not detectable in the corresponding primary tumor of the same patient and metastases located at different sites show a considerable intrapatient heterogeneity. Thus, the mere analysis of the resected primary tumor alone (current standard practice in oncology) or, if possible, even reevaluation of tumor characteristics based on the biopsy ...

Analysis of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is emerging as a powerful tool for guiding targeted therapy and monitoring tumor evolution in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), especially when representative tissue biopsies are not available. Here, we have compared the ability of four leading technology platforms to detect epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations (L858R, exon ...

A DNA helicase, called chloroplast DNA (ctDNA) helicase II, was purified to apparent homogeneity from pea (Pisum sativum). The enzyme contained intrinsic, single-stranded, DNA-dependent ATPase activity and an apparent molecular mass of 78 kD on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The DNA helicase was markedly stimulated by DNA substrates with fork-like replication structu...

BACKGROUND Cancer is first and foremost a disease of the genome. Specific genetic signatures within a tumour are prognostic of disease outcome, reflect subclonal architecture and intratumour heterogeneity, inform treatment choices and predict the emergence of resistance to targeted therapies. Minimally invasive liquid biopsies can give temporal resolution to a tumour's genetic profile and allow...

Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is the fraction of circulating that derived from a patient's cancer. Only high risk stage II and all III colon cancer received adjuvant chemotherapy. We assumed ctDNA could be used for stratification personalize treatment in localized 225 newly diagnosed proved after colectomy, 171 males 54 females with median age 45.7 years ± 15.9. MMR genes were detected by IHC o...

A 77-year-old Japanese man presented to our hospital with a 1-month history of low back pain and was diagnosed as having stage IV EGFR mutation-positive lung adenocarcinoma. After treatment with EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor and cytotoxic chemotherapy, nivolumab was started as fourth-line therapy. Remarkable regression of the primary tumor was observed, suggesting high anti-tumor activity of n...

Colorectal cancer (CRC) has been the fourth leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Owing to clonal evolution and selection, CRC treatment needs multimodal therapeutic approaches and due monitoring of tumor progression and therapeutic efficacy. Liquid biopsy, involving the use of circulating tumor cells (CTCs), circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), and exosomes, may offer a promising noni...

Somatic mutations in the gene encoding epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) play an important role in determining targeted treatment modalities in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The EGFR T790M mutation emerges in approximately 50% of cases who acquire resistance to tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Detecting EGFR T790M mutation in tumor tissue is challenging due to heterogeneity of the tumor,...

In the August 16th issue of Science Translational Medicine, Phallen et al propose a method for early cancer diagnosis by using circulating tumor DNA (1). One major advance of this paper includes optimized sequencing of cell-free/circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) without knowledge of tumor mutations. Evaluation of 200 patients with colorectal, breast, lung and ovarian cancer revealed mutations in ct...

Spectroscopic, viscometric, and molecular docking analysis of binding of cationic bis-porphyrins linked with p- or m-xylylenediamine (H(2)pXy and H(2)mXy) and their zinc(II) complexes (ZnpXy and ZnmXy) to duplex DNA are described. H(2)pXy and H(2)mXy bound to calf thymus DNA (CTDNA) stronger than unichromophoric H(2)TMPyP, and showed exciton-type induced circular dichroism spectra of their Sore...