Plasma-based testing as a new paradigm for clinical testing in hematologic diseases

Francis J. Giles*, Maher Albitar

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

11 Scopus citations

Abstract

Recent advances in molecular biology have paved the way for the detection of minute quantities of cellular components with robust assays that are amenable for use in clinical laboratories. This review discusses the recently developed series of plasma-based assays that are changing the testing paradigm for hematologic diseases. These tests are based on the concept that a high turnover of neoplastic hematologic cells, relative to normal cells, enriches plasma with tumor-specific DNA, RNA and protein. Plasma-based testing promises to reduce the need for bone marrow biopsy, allow for more frequent and accurate monitoring of changes in bone marrow, allow the detection of more aggressive subclones of the malignant cells and provide a more quantitative means to measure the load of the malignant clone. We present data demonstrating that plasma, in some situations, allows even more sensitive detection than bone marrow cells. Moreover, the lessened impact of dilution by normal cells in plasma permits a distinction between homozygous and hemizygous abnormalities. Unlike solid tumors, currently available data suggest that in hematologic diseases, plasma is superior to cells in detecting molecular abnormalities.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)615-623
Number of pages9
JournalExpert Review of Molecular Diagnostics
Volume7
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 2007

Keywords

  • Biomarkers
  • Cell free
  • DNA
  • Plasma-based
  • Protein
  • RNA
  • Testing

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Pathology and Forensic Medicine
  • Molecular Medicine
  • Molecular Biology
  • Genetics

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