ArticleCancers2026
Preoperative Plasma Cell-Free DNA Integrity Index in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma: An Exploratory Case-Control Study.
Article in Cancers, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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Abstract
BACKGROUND/
objectivesEvaluation of renal tumour masses relies on conventional imaging, which cannot reliably characterise the histopathological type, and no validated blood-based diagnostic marker is available for renal cell carcinoma. The cfDNA integrity index, the ratio of long to short circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) fragments, may reflect the necrotic origin of tumour-derived DNA and is a candidate qualitative marker of malignancy. This exploratory, single-centre case-control study assessed the preoperative plasma cfDNA integrity index in patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC).
methodsPlasma concentrations of 90 bp and 222 bp cfDNA fragments were measured by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) in 46 patients with histopathologically confirmed ccRCC (before surgery) and 17 healthy volunteers; the two groups were a convenience sample, were not matched, and differed in age and body-mass index. The cfDNA integrity index was defined as the ratio of the 222 bp to the 90 bp fragment concentration.
resultsThe cfDNA integrity index was higher in patients with ccRCC than in controls (median 0.28 vs. 0.15;
conclusionsIn this exploratory cohort, the preoperative plasma cfDNA integrity index was higher in patients with ccRCC than in healthy volunteers and was associated with several adverse pathological features; these findings require confirmation in larger, matched studies that include benign renal masses before any diagnostic role can be claimed.
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