Is Liquid biopsy useful in oral squamous cell carcinoma? [Focusing on NOTCH1].

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K17239
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 57060:Surgical dentistry-related
• Research Institution: Tokai University
• Principal Investigator: Masahiro Uchibori 東海大学, 医学部, 助教 (50749273)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: Liquid biopsy / cfDNA / 口腔がん / OSCC / NOTCH1 / 再発転移

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We analyzed the association between changes in cfDNA concentration with time and the prognosis of patients with OSCC, and genetic mutation analysis of tumor tissue DNA and cfDNA too. We collected cfDNA from 10 patients preoperatively, one month postoperatively, and every three months thereafter to analyze the association between changes in cfDNA concentration and patient prognosis. We analyzed genetic mutation with tumor tissues collected from 34 patients.An additional analysis was then performed to detect genetic mutations in cfDNA for patients with genetic mutations in tissue DNA. Pre- and postoperative cfDNA concentrations in patients with a good prognosis showed almost no change. However, a rapid increase in cfDNA concentrations was observed approximately 2–3 months before death in patients with a poor prognosis. In a genetic mutation analysis, the patients whose tumor tissue DNA showed genetic mutations had the same mutations detected in cfDNA, at a rate of 0.06 to 1.49%.

Free Research Field

口腔がん

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究でcfDNAは原発巣の遺伝子変異を反映しており、cfDNAの濃度変化と予後の関連性はさらなる解析が必要だが、死期の予測は可能である可能性が示唆された。
cfDNAを解析する前提として腫瘍のDNAを反映している必要があるが、これらの解析を行っているOSCCの研究は少ないため、今後のOSCCにおけるcfDNA研究の参考となる。また、死期を知ることができるとそれに向けた準備をすることができる。これを予測することができると患者本人や家族にとって有意義な効果をもたらすと考える。さらなる解析が必要であるが、この精度を高めることは社会的な意義が十分にあると考える。