Clinical Value of cfDNA Content in Peripheral Blood of Patients with Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Abstract

Objective: To explore the value of circulating free (cfDNA) content in the clinical diagnosis and treatment of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Methods: A total of 39 TNBC patients, 45 non-TNBC patients, and 50 healthy individuals admitted to the Baoding First Central Hospital during 2019–2022 were recruited. The clinical data, peripheral blood cfDNA concentration, and clinicopathological indicators of the patients were observed and analyzed. Results: The difference in clinical indicators such as age, age range, tumor size, clinical stage, and lymph node metastasis between patients with TNBC and non-TNBC was insignificant (P > 0.05). The cfDNA concentrations (ng/mL) of the TNBC group, non-TNBC group, and healthy group were 24.12 ± 4.98, 15.36 ± 4.12, and 3.12 ± 1.02, respectively, and they are statistically different (P < 0.05). The difference in cfDNA concentration was insignificant between TNBC patients with tumors ≤ 2 cm and > 2 cm (P > 0.05) but was significant between TNBC patients with clinical stages I+II and III+IV (P < 0.05). The cfDNA concentration in TNBC patients with lymph node metastasis was significantly higher than those without lymph node metastasis (P < 0.05). Conclusion: cfDNA has an important application value in the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer. By detecting the cfDNA level and its gene variation, valuable information about the progress and treatment effects of breast cancer can be obtained. This non-invasive detection method has a wide range of applications and can be used for early screening, auxiliary diagnosis, efficacy evaluation, and recurrence monitoring of breast cancer.