Differentiate the cell free DNA levels (cfDNA) and its integrity in prostate cancer patients and control group composed of benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) and healthy persons.
cf-DNA levels were quantified by real-time PCR amplification in prostate cancer patients (n = 50), (BPH) benign prostate hyperplasia (n = 25) and healthy controls (n = 30) using two sets of ALU gene (product size of 115 bp and 247-bp) and its integrity was calculated as a ratio of qPCR results of 247 bp ALU over 115 bp ALU.
Highly significant levels of cf-DNA and its integrity in PC patients compared to BPH. Twenty-eight (56%) patients with prostate cancer had bone metastasis. ALU115 qpcr is superior to the other markers in discriminating metastatic patients with a sensitivity of 96.4% and a specificity of 86.4% and (AUC = 0.981)
ALU115 qpcr could be used as a valuable biomarker helping in identifying high risk patients, indicating early spread of tumor cells as a potential seed for future metastases.