Background: Cell-free circulating DNA (cfDNA) and circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are emerging minimally invasive cancer biomarkers that help with early diagnosis, prognosis and therapeutic target selection. Combined use of cfDNA and CTCs provides complementary information about tumor cell heterogeneity thus helping to identify genetic mutations relevant in clinical decision making.Patients and methods: cfDNA and CTCs were isolated from whole blood specimens of 20 gynecological cancer patients by CD-PRIME™. We performed targeted sequencing across 51 actionable genes in 20 cfDNA and ctcDNA, and then analyzed genetic mutations and clinical significance.Results: A total of 33 somatic variants were found in 16 actionable genes. A genetic variant analysis revealed 15 somatic variants in the cfDNA and 20 somatic variants in CTCs sample, only two variants were found in common. The most frequently altered genes in cfDNA samples were TP53, PTCH1, FGFR, and BRCA2. in contrast, the most frequently altered genes in CTCs sample were TP53, BRCA1, TSC2, ERBB2 and PTCH1. An in silico analysis revealed that 60% of somatic variants (20 out of 33) were potentially pathogenic mutations as expected. Detected BRCA1 p.S573 frameshift mutation and BRCA2 p.Q1683 nonsense mutation lead to loss-of-function of BRCA1 and BRCA2.
Conclusion:Our study shows that the genetic profiling of cfDNA and CTCs together provides more enriched genomic information for guiding preclinical and clinical strategies and targeted therapies.Studies have reported advantages such as concordance between genetic mutation in CTCs and primary tissue 13 , and extensive information about DNA, RNA and protein. 14,15 Hence, the isolation and detection of CTCs offers one of the most promising methods for accurate and precise diagnosing many cancers and predicting metastasis. [16][17][18] As cfDNA and CTCs possess different analytical properties, when analyzed in combination, may provide complementary and augmented information on tumor cell heterogeneity that is critical in identifying key molecular targets for improved cancer therapies. 19 Gynecologic cancer is a cancer developed in female reproductive organs. Each gynecologic cancer has different signs, symptoms, and causes. Early detection of gynecologic cancer and an understanding of specific mutations involved can lead to more effective treatments. In this study, we performed targeted sequencing of a customized cancer panel of 51 actionable genes in cfDNA and CTCs samples of gynecologic cancers, including vulvar, endometrial, ovarian, cervical and uterine cancers. This study shows that the actionable mutations of cfDNA and CTCs from patients can be readily profiled using NGS, making them available for clinical application in guiding treatment decisions during diagnosis, disease monitoring and recommending the appropriate drug for each individual patient over time through non-invasive assays.