Anu Kumari, Anupriya Kaur, Charanpreet Singh, Anju Goyal, Arihant Jain, Aditya Jandial, Priyanka Srivastava, Sreejesh Sreedharanunni, Amanjit Bal, Alka Rani Khadwal, Pankaj Malhotra, Gaurav Prakash
UNLABELLED: Circulating cell-free DNA (ccf-DNA) and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) provide a minimally invasive method for cancer detection and measurement. However, their diagnostic and prognostic significance in hematological malignancies remains ambiguous. This meta-analysis aims to evaluate the prognostic value of ccf-DNA or ctDNA in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). All relevant literature was retrieved through a systematic search of electronic databases, including PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library. Eight eligible studies were selected for the analysis of prognostic value of ccf-DNA or ctDNA. Statistical analyses were performed using R software. The results indicate significant associations with both PFS (HR = 2.14; 95% CI: 1.31-3.40; p < 0.01) and OS (HR = 2.51; 95% CI: 1.84-3.40) for patients with elevated ccf-DNA or ctDNA levels. The results of this meta-analysis strongly suggest that elevated levels of ccfDNA or ctDNA are indicative of poor prognosis in patients with DLBCL.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s12288-025-02234-1.