Genomic Analysis of Plasma Cell-Free DNA in Patients Diagnosed With Cancer | Genetics and Genomics | JAMA Oncology | The JAMA Network

Genomic Analysis of Plasma Cell-Free DNA in Patients Diagnosed With Cancer | Genetics and Genomics | JAMA Oncology | The JAMA Network

Genomic Analysis of Plasma Cell-Free DNA in Patients With Cancer

Geoffrey R. Oxnard, MD^1,2; Cloud P. Paweletz, PhD³; Lynette M. Sholl, MD^4,5

Author Affiliations

JAMA Oncol. 2017;3(6):740-741. doi:10.1001/jamaoncol.2016.2835

The increased importance of cancer genotyping in guiding cancer treatment has created a need for efficient methods for genomic analysis of patients’ cancers. This increased dependence on DNA-based tumor genotyping assays (eg, sequencing, polymerase chain reaction [PCR], fluorescence in situ hybridization [FISH]) has triggered a growing interest in the analysis of free-floating DNA present in the blood of patients with cancer—plasma cell-free DNA (cfDNA). Sensitive PCR techniques together with high-throughput next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies have evolved to a point where genetic analysis of cfDNA is possible.