Contents

Disclaimer

Oxford University Press makes no representation, express or implied, that the drug dosages in this book are correct. Readers must therefore always check the product information and clinical procedures with the most up to date published product information and data sheets provided by the manufacturers and the most recent codes of conduct and safety regulations. The authors and the publishers do not accept responsibility or legal liability for any errors in the text or for the misuse or misapplication of material in this work. Except where otherwise stated, drug dosages and recommendations are for the non-pregnant adult who is not breastfeeding.

Show Summary Details
Page of

Circulating DNA for molecular diagnostics 

Circulating DNA for molecular diagnostics
Chapter:
Circulating DNA for molecular diagnostics
Author(s):

Y.M. Dennis Lo

, and Rossa W.K. Chiu

DOI:
10.1093/med/9780198746690.003.0037
Page of

PRINTED FROM OXFORD MEDICINE ONLINE (www.oxfordmedicine.com). © Oxford University Press, 2021. All Rights Reserved. Under the terms of the licence agreement, an individual user may print out a PDF of a single chapter of a title in Oxford Medicine Online for personal use (for details see Privacy Policy and Legal Notice).

date: 03 March 2021

Short fragments of cell-free DNA are released into the plasma when cells die. In patients with cancer some of this circulating DNA is released by tumour cells; in pregnant women some is derived from the fetus; and increased amounts are found in many pathological conditions associated with cell death. In each of these circumstances, analysis of cell-free DNA can provide useful clinical information (e.g. detection or monitoring of cancer, determination of mutation status of a fetus). With further improvement in analytical technologies and developments of new markers, it is likely that the application of circulating cell-free DNA and cell-free RNA species in molecular diagnostics will increase in the future.

Access to the complete content on Oxford Medicine Online requires a subscription or purchase. Public users are able to search the site and view the abstracts for each book and chapter without a subscription.

Please subscribe or login to access full text content.

If you have purchased a print title that contains an access token, please see the token for information about how to register your code.

For questions on access or troubleshooting, please check our FAQs, and if you can't find the answer there, please contact us.