Circulating DNA-Markers of High Risk for Lung Cancer in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

In 26 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), validation of the marker genes RARB, ZNF260, and DCDC1 was carried out using liquid biopsy technology. Hypermethylation of RARB, ZNF260, and DCDC1 genes in extracellular DNA of the blood plasma was revealed. Post-therapeutic monitoring showed that hypermethylation of the RARB and/or ZNF260 genes was associated with the development of lung cancer in 23% of cases. These findings show the potential of analyzing the epigenetic markers for assessing the risk of lung cancer development in COPD patients.