Plasma cell-free DNA level and integrity as biomarkers to diagnose hepatocellular carcinoma

Objective　To detect the circulating cell-free DNA (cf-DNA) level and integrity in plasma of the patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), HBV and healthy controls by real time PCR (RT-PCR), evaluate their diagnostic value in hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods　Venous blood samples from 52 HCC patients, 58 HBV patients and 60 healthy controls were collected. The levels of glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), β-actin400 and β-actin167 in plasma cf-DNA and the integrity of cf-DNA (reflected by β-actin400/β-actin167) were determined by RT-PCR. The differences in different groups and between two groups were analyzed with SPSS software. Results　The β-actin167 levels in plasma cf-DNA and the integrity of cf-DNA were significantly lower in healthy controls than in HCC patients (Z=–4.328, P=0.000; Z=–3.885, P=0.001) and HBV patients (Z=–2.473, P=0.005; Z=–3.295, P=0.013), and the integrity of cf-DNA was obviously lower in HBV patients than in HCC patients (Z=–4.836, P=0.002). Conclusion　The integrity of circulating cf-DNA β-actin167 and β-actin400 detected by RT-PCR may be auxiliary biomarker in diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma. DOI: 10.11855/j.issn.0577-7402.2016.12.09