Circulating Cell-free Tumor Nucleic Acids in Gastric Cancer

• Main Authors: Hyun-Ji Lee, Sun Min Lee
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Yong Chan Lee 2018-09-01
• Series: The Korean Journal of Helicobacter and Upper Gastrointestinal Research
• Subjects: Cell-free nucleic acids; Circulating microRNA; Circulating tumor DNA; Liquid biopsy; Stomach neoplasms
• Online Access: http://www.helicojournal.org/journal/view.html?doi=10.7704/kjhugr.2018.18.3.168

Gastric cancer is still the leading cause of cancer deaths, especially in Asian countries. Recently, many studies have analyzed cell-free nucleic acids (cfNAs) circulating in the blood, for the early diagnosis of cancer and monitoring its progression. Circulating tumor nucleic acids (ctNAs) originate in a tumor and contain tumor-related genetic or epigenetic alterations. This review defines the nomenclatures of each form of cfNAs and describes the characteristics of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) and microRNA (miRNA), two major forms of ctNAs studied in gastric cancer research to date. We compare available studies on ctDNA, and explain trends observed in studies of miRNAs in gastric cancers. As these new blood-based biomarkers have attracted increasing attention, we have discussed several important points to be considered before the clinical translation of ctNA detection. We have also discussed the current status of research in this field, and clinical applications of specific ctNAs as tumor markers for gastric cancer diagnosis.