The level of circulating DNAAbbreviation for deoxyribonucleic acid. Composed of very long strings of nucleotides, which are abbreviated as A, C, G and T. DNA is the storage form of our genetic material. All of the instructions for the production of proteins are encoded in our DNA. in a cancer patient may positively correlate with the likelihood of the cancer to spread, report researchers from the Polytechnic University of Valencia. They describe the study from which they drew this conclusion in an article in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology. The subjects of the study all had been diagnosed with advanced non-small cell lung carcinomaCancer of epithelial cells, the cells that cover the outside and inside of body surfaces. This is the most common form of cancer.. Before beginning chemotherapyTreatment of cancer patients with anticancer drugs. Commonly called 'chemo'. These drugs work by attacking cell growth or division. Often these agents are used in combination to take advantage of their different modes of attack on cell division. with cisplatin and docetaxel, researchers estimated the levels of freely circulating DNA by measuring the amount of an enzymeA protein that speeds up the process of chemical reactions in the body without becoming altered in the process. Almost every biological process is driven by the activity of enzymes. Without enzyme catalysts, the complex reactions that build and break down cell parts would not happen at a rate compatible with life. Enzyme names usually describe the reaction that is being catalyzed and all of them end in -ase., human telomeraseAn enzyme that functions to replace the ends of chromosomes. Normally, during DNA replication, chromosome ends are shortened by a small amount. Telomerase is turned off in most adult tissues, a process that limits the number of cell divisions that can be completed by those cells. In cancer cells, telomerase is often reactivated, allowing the cells to divide indefinitely. reverse transcriptase (hTERT). Patients with higher levels of hTERT prior to treatment had an overall higher incidence of the lung cancer spread (metastasis), and lower overall survival. Researchers suggest the non-invasive, inexpensive nature of hTERT measurement may allow improved efficacy of lung cancer prognosis.
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