Preanalytical Guidelines for Circulating Cell-Free DNA Analysis: A Systematic Review
This systematic review consolidates evidence on preanalytical variables affecting cfDNA analysis, covering patient factors, blood collection tubes, processing times, centrifugation protocols, and storage conditions. While cfDNA is already used clinically in oncology and prenatal testing, the lack of standardised operating procedures limits broader clinical adoption. The authors propose comprehensive preanalytical guidelines for nuclear cfDNA that address the entire specimen journey from collection to extraction.
The original study
Guidelines for the Preanalytical Conditions for Analyzing Circulating Cell-Free DNA.
- Authors
- Meddeb R, Pisareva E, Thierry AR
- Journal
- Clinical chemistry
- Type
- Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Systematic Review
- PMID
- 30792266
Original abstract
Circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) isolated from blood has been identified as a potential biomarker in numerous fields, and has been the object of intensive research over the past decade, although its original discovery dates back 60 years. While it is already used routinely in commercial and clinical practice in oncology and prenatal testing, other potential applications have emerged, including for diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, organ transplantation, autoimmune diseases, sepsis, trauma, and sport management. As with the discovery and development of any biomarker, preanalytical requirements and documentation are as important as analytical requirements. Except for the case of noninvasive prenatal testing and prenatal diagnosis, the implementation of cfDNA in a clinical setting remains limited because of the lack of standardization of cfDNA analysis. In particular, only a few attempts have been made to collect and pool scientific data on the relevant preanalytical factors, and no standard operating procedure has yet been set. For this report, we have performed a thorough and systematic search via MEDLINE® for relevant preanalytical variables and patient factors. These form the basis of the guidelines we propose for analyzing nuclear cfDNA.