Tracking CFDNA levels can help in a better assessment of the effectiveness of colorectal cancer

The new research article was published in volume 16 January 21, 2025, entitled “CFDNA release dynamics assessment during colorectal cancer surgery”.

Researchers at the University of Brasília studied how the levels of DNA free from cell (CFDNA) in blood change before, during and after colorectal cancer surgery. The study showed that CFDNA levels grow significantly during and after surgery. Discoveries suggest that CFDNA can help clinicians assess the effectiveness of surgery and monitor patient results.

CFDNA consists of small fragments of DNA released into the bloodstream when the cells die and fall apart. In healthy people, CFDNA usually comes from normal cell rotation, while in patients with cancer some of them come from cancer cells. Measuring CFDNA levels offers valuable insight into the patient’s condition and is already used to track the disease progression and response to cancer treatment such as lung, breast and large intestine.

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers around the world, touching millions of people each year. Operation is often primary treatment, but up to 50% of patients experience recurrence of cancer. In this study, the research team, led by the first author of Lopes Alves Alves and the appropriate author Fabio Pittella-Silva, analyzed blood samples from 30 patients at three key time points: before, during and after surgery.

It was found that CFDNA levels increased almost three times during surgery and doubled after surgery compared to preoperative levels. Increases were even higher in people over 60 years of age, in people with existing states, such as diabetes or heart disease, and patients with increased levels of carcinogenic antigen (CEA), Common Marker Cancer. Patients with the highest levels of CFDNA were patients with larger or more aggressive tumors, probably due to greater tissue damage during surgery. In addition, longer operations were associated with higher CFDNA levels.

These discoveries suggest that CFDNA can be valuable, non -invasive biomarker for clinicians monitoring patients with colorectal cancer. Tracking CFDNA levels can help in a better assessment of surgical results and determine whether patients require closer control.

Although these discoveries are promising, further research is needed to standardize CFDNA testing and confirmation of its usefulness. Larger research can help in determining the CFDNA test as a reliable tool for caring for cancer and postoperative monitoring, with the potential of becoming a routine part of clinical practice in the future.