4,160,000 Yen
(Direct Cost: 3,200,000 Yen Indirect Cost: 960,000 Yen)
Research Abstract
Mutation analysis of tumor and normal (PBMC) DNAs of 26 patients with HNSCC was performed using a custom SCC panel. The identified individualized mutated genes were defined as ctDNA candidates. We performed frequent ctDNA monitoring via digital PCR (dPCR). TP53 was the most frequently mutated gene and was detected in 14 of 24 cases (62.5%), wherein 2 cases were excluded owing to the absence of tumor-specific mutations in the SCC panel. Six cases were excluded because of undesignable and unusable primer-probes for dPCR. Longitudinal ctDNA was monitored in a total of 18 cases. In 7 cases, ctDNA tested positive again or did not tested negative, and all 7 cases relapsed after initial treatment. In 11 cases, after initial treatment, ctDNA remained negative and patients were alive without recurrence. Patients who remained negative for ctDNA during follow-up after initial treatment (n = 11) had a significantly better prognosis than those who reverted to ctDNA positivity (n = 7; P < 0.0001).
