Advances in the Detection of Pancreatic Cancer Through Liquid Biopsy.

Pancreatic cancer refers to the development of malignant tumors in the pancreas: it is associated with high mortality rates and mostly goes undetected in its early stages for lack of symptoms. Currently, surgical treatment is the only effective way to improve the survival of pancreatic cancer patients. Therefore, it is crucial to diagnose the disease as early as possible in order to improve the survival rate of patients with pancreatic cancer. Liquid biopsy is a unique in vitro diagnostic technique offering the advantage of earlier detection of tumors. Although liquid biopsies have shown promise for screening for certain cancers, whether they are effective for early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer is unclear. Therefore, we reviewed relevant literature indexed in PubMed and collated updates and information on advances in the field of liquid biopsy with respect to the early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.

[Association of XPC and XPG polymorphisms with the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether the polymorphism of DNA repair genes XPC (Ala499Val and Lys939Gln) and XPG (His1104Asp) is associated with the susceptibility to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: A hospital-based case-control study was conducted in 500 cases with HCC and 507 controls. Genotypes of XPC and XPG were determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction with the TaqMan MGB probe. RESULTS: Compared to the CC genotype, the CT genotype and the TT genotype of XPC Ala499Val were not associated with the susceptibility to HCC (adjusted OR = 1.34, 95% CI: 0.85-2.12; adjusted OR = 1.30, 95% CI: 0.68-2.51, respectively). Compared to the AA genotype, the AC genotype and the CC genotype of Lys939Gln were not associated with the susceptibility to HCC (adjusted OR = 1.20, 95% CI: 0.78-1.85; adjusted OR = 1.81, 95% CI: 0.88-3.73, respectively). Compared to the CC genotype, the CG genotype and the GG genotype of XPG His1104Asp were not associated with the susceptibility to HCC (adjusted OR = 0.85, 95% CI: 0.56-1.27; adjusted OR = 1.12, 95% CI: 0.67-1.87, respectively) However, the stratified analysis revealed that the females with the AC+CC genotype of XPC Lys939Gln had increased risk of HCC compared to those with AA genotype (OR = 2.17, 95% CI: 1.01-4.64). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that XPC and XPG polymorphisms do not independently affect on the susceptibility to HCC, but the joint effect of C allele of XPC Lys939Gln and female may modify the risk of HCC.