Factors Influencing Background Cell-Free DNA Levels: Implications for Donor-Derived Cell-Free DNA Assessment in Transplant Patients
Natera, Inc., San Carlos, CA
Meeting: 2020 American Transplant Congress
Abstract number: LB-050
Keywords: Age factors, Graft failure, Post-operative complications, Rejection
Session Information
Session Name: Poster Session D: Late Breaking
Session Type: Poster Session
Date: Saturday, May 30, 2020
Session Time: 3:15pm-4:00pm
Presentation Time: 3:30pm-4:00pm
Location: Virtual
*Purpose: Detecting elevated levels of donor-derived cell-free DNA (dd-cfDNA) in the plasma of transplant recipients has been used as a metric to determine graft injury due to immunologic rejection. To clinically interpret the quantification of dd-cfDNA with respect to background cfDNA, we sought to investigate how various clinical and treatment-related factors may influence cfDNA levels.
*Methods: The impact of surgery/procedural trauma on the background cfDNA level was studied in over 1000 patient samples with early-stage cancer as well as healthy controls. Cell-free DNA levels were quantified pre-surgery and post-surgery at various time points up to six weeks. For a subset of patients, regression analysis was performed to establish the relationship between total cfDNA levels with age and gender.
*Results: Compared to the presurgical time point, plasma samples collected within the first four weeks post-surgery showed a significant increase in total cfDNA level (p<0.01). Background cfDNA level was found to be associated with increasing age but not gender. Further analysis of the impact of concurrent medications, treatment-related adverse events, and comorbidities on cfDNA levels are currently underway and will be presented.
*Conclusions: Cell-free DNA levels are unstable and can be influenced by multiple factors including age, gender, body mass index, diet, autoimmune diseases, tumor type, stage, volume and specifically surgery/procedural trauma. Considering these factors may improve the clinician’s interpretation of dd-cfDNA results.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
Gauthier P, Aleshin A, Shchegrova S, Mckenna T, Kalashnikova E, Sharma S, Sethi H, Salari R, Swenerton R, Demko Z, Zimmermann B, Billings P. Factors Influencing Background Cell-Free DNA Levels: Implications for Donor-Derived Cell-Free DNA Assessment in Transplant Patients [abstract]. Am J Transplant. 2020; 20 (suppl 3). https://atcmeetingabstracts.com/abstract/factors-influencing-background-cell-free-dna-levels-implications-for-donor-derived-cell-free-dna-assessment-in-transplant-patients/. Accessed November 22, 2024.« Back to 2020 American Transplant Congress