近日,香港中文大學的盧煜明(Dennis Lo)教授團隊,基於液態活檢技術,通過檢測Epstein-Barr病毒的DNA,在鼻咽癌篩查中進行嘗試,結果可提高該疾病的早期檢測和生存率。表明此方法至少對於這種在當地普遍存在的癌症是有效的。該項研究於8月10日在線發表在新英格蘭醫學雜誌(NEJM)上。
總共有20174名40~62歲的受試者接受了EBV DNA篩查,1112人(5.5%)在血漿樣本中檢測到EBV DNA。
309人(佔所有受試人群的1.5%,最初檢測為陽性人群的27.8%)重複檢測的結果持續為陽性。在這309名受試者中,有300人進一步接受內鏡檢查,275人接受了內鏡檢查和MRI檢查;其中34人(11%)診斷為鼻咽癌。在篩查出的鼻咽癌患者中,I期或II期鼻咽癌的患者比例明顯高於歷史對照組(71% vs. 20%,P < 0.001),大約半數(n=16 [47%])為I期,顯著高於既往文獻報導的5%~7%。篩查後診斷為鼻咽癌的患者,其3年無進展生存率優於歷史對照組(97% vs. 70%;P<0.001)。
9名受試者拒絕接受進一步的檢查,其中1人在入組32個月後發生鼻咽癌晚期。在篩查後1年內,僅1名血漿樣本EBV DNA檢測陰性的受試者出現鼻咽癌。血漿中EBV DNA在鼻咽癌篩查中的敏感性和特異性分別為97.1%和98.6%。
圖:鼻咽癌階段的分布和生存率的變化
(本研究由嘉道理慈善基金會及香港研究資助局資助)
附文獻信息:(全文可通過點擊文末的閱讀原文獲得)
K.C. Allen Chan, et al. Analysis of Plasma Epstein–Barr Virus DNA to Screen for Nasopharyngeal Cancer. N Engl J Med 2017; 377:513-522.
BACKGROUND:Circulating cell-free Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) DNA is a biomarker for nasopharyngeal carcinoma. We conducted a prospective study to investigate whether EBV DNA in plasma samples would be useful to screen for early nasopharyngeal carcinoma in asymptomatic persons.METHODS:We analyzed EBV DNA in plasma specimens to screen participants who did not have symptoms of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Participants with initially positive results were retested approximately 4 weeks later, and those with persistently positive EBV DNA in plasma underwent nasal endoscopic examination and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).RESULTS:A total of 20,174 participants underwent screening. EBV DNA was detectable in plasma samples obtained from 1112 participants (5.5%), and 309 (1.5% of all participants and 27.8% of those who initially tested positive) had persistently positive results on the repeated sample. Among these 309 participants, 300 underwent endoscopic examination, and 275 underwent both endoscopic examination and MRI; of these participants, 34 had nasopharyngeal carcinoma. A significantly higher proportion of participants with nasopharyngeal carcinoma that was identified by screening had stage I or II disease than in a historical cohort (71% vs. 20%, P<0.001 by the chi-square test) and had superior 3-year progression-free survival (97% vs. 70%; hazard ratio, 0.10; 95% confidence interval, 0.05 to 0.18). Nine participants declined to undergo further testing, and 1 of them presented with advanced nasopharyngeal carcinoma 32 months after enrollment. Nasopharyngeal carcinoma developed in only 1 participant with negative EBV DNA in plasma samples within 1 year after testing. The sensitivity and specificity of EBV DNA in plasma samples in screening for nasopharyngeal carcinoma were 97.1% and 98.6%, respectively.本文來源:根據香港中文大學網站及文獻信息綜合編輯而成
本期編輯:bioclock