Cell-free DNA methylation biomarkers for the early detection and tumor burden monitoring of gastric cancer
A blood test measuring DNA methylation patterns shows promise for detecting early gastric cancer and tracking how well chemotherapy is working.
A genome-wide cfDNA methylation biomarker (GCML-score) derived from 13 differentially methylated regions achieves excellent diagnostic performance for early gastric cancer detection across two independent Chinese cohorts. The score also tracks tumor burden dynamically during neoadjuvant chemotherapy, suggesting dual utility for screening and treatment monitoring.
What the study was
- Study design
- Prospective biomarker study with external validation
- Population
- Gastric cancer patients and healthy controls (2 independent clinical centers, China)
- Sample size
- 171 GC patients + 114 healthy controls; 241 plasma samples
- Category
- Early Detection
- Maturity
- Validated
- Journal
- NPJ Precision Oncology
Why it surfaced
Multi-center validation of cfDNA methylation biomarker for early gastric cancer detection achieves AUC 0.82-0.99 across cohorts with tumor monitoring capability. Gastric cancer is a leading cause of cancer mortality globally with limited early detection tools; cfDNA methylation panels represent a clinically actionable approach.
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