Open Access

Post‑radiation circulating tumor DNA as a prognostic factor in locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

  • Authors:
    • Ru Jia
    • Chuan-Hua Zhao
    • Pan-Song Li
    • Rong-Rui Liu
    • Yun Zhang
    • Hai-E Chen
    • Lian-Peng Chang
    • Yu-Hua Gong
    • Yan-Fang Guan
    • Xin Yi
    • Jian-Ming Xu
  • View Affiliations

  • Published online on: November 25, 2020     https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2020.12329
  • Article Number: 68
  • Copyright: © Jia et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is a highly malignant and deadly tumor. Radiation therapy is one of the primary treatments for locally advanced ESCC. However, the biomarkers for prognosis of definitive radiation remain undefined. Peripheral blood circulating tumor (ct)DNA provides information of tumor genetic alterations and has been confirmed as a potential non‑invasive biomarker for several types of cancer. The present study investigated the clinical implications of ctDNA detection in patients with ESCC and receiving definitive radiation therapy. Patients with locally advanced ESCC were retrospectively recruited. Plasma samples were collected before, during and following radiation therapy. Next‑generation sequencing was performed to identify somatic mutations in 180 genes. A total of 69 baseline and post‑radiation plasma samples were collected from 25 patients. A total of 59 non‑silent single nucleotide variants were present in 33 genes. All pre‑radiation and 58.3% (14/24) of post‑radiation samples had at least one mutation. Patients with lymph node metastases (LNM) exhibited a higher number of pre‑radiation mutations compared with those without LNM. The variables, progression‑free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) of the patients with one baseline mutation were not significantly different compared with that in patients with more than one baseline mutation. Patients with initial ctDNA‑positive post‑radiation samples exhibited significantly reduced PFS (P=0.047) and OS (P=0.005) compared with that in patients with ctDNA‑negative samples. The post‑radiation plasma ctDNA status was an independent prognostic factor from univariate and multivariate analyses. Dynamic monitoring of ctDNA during follow‑up was examined. The results indicated that ctDNA was a predictive and prognostic marker in patients with ESCC and receiving definitive radiation therapy, which may guide subsequent treatment.
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January-2021
Volume 21 Issue 1

Print ISSN: 1792-1074
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Spandidos Publications style
Jia R, Zhao C, Li P, Liu R, Zhang Y, Chen H, Chang L, Gong Y, Guan Y, Yi X, Yi X, et al: Post‑radiation circulating tumor DNA as a prognostic factor in locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Oncol Lett 21: 68, 2021
APA
Jia, R., Zhao, C., Li, P., Liu, R., Zhang, Y., Chen, H. ... Xu, J. (2021). Post‑radiation circulating tumor DNA as a prognostic factor in locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. Oncology Letters, 21, 68. https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2020.12329
MLA
Jia, R., Zhao, C., Li, P., Liu, R., Zhang, Y., Chen, H., Chang, L., Gong, Y., Guan, Y., Yi, X., Xu, J."Post‑radiation circulating tumor DNA as a prognostic factor in locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma". Oncology Letters 21.1 (2021): 68.
Chicago
Jia, R., Zhao, C., Li, P., Liu, R., Zhang, Y., Chen, H., Chang, L., Gong, Y., Guan, Y., Yi, X., Xu, J."Post‑radiation circulating tumor DNA as a prognostic factor in locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma". Oncology Letters 21, no. 1 (2021): 68. https://doi.org/10.3892/ol.2020.12329