Detection of circulating tumor DNA in early- and late-stage human malignancies.

The development of noninvasive methods to detect and monitor tumors continues to be a major challenge in oncology. We used digital polymerase chain reaction-based technologies to evaluate the ability of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) to detect tumors in 640 patients with various cancer types. We found that ctDNA was detectable in >75% of patients with advanced pancreatic, ovarian, colorectal, bladder, gastroesophageal, breast, melanoma, hepatocellular, and head and neck cancers, but in less than 50% of primary brain, renal, prostate, or thyroid cancers.

Decreased progesterone receptor expression in the intermediate trophoblastic cells of spontaneous abortions.

Objective: To determine whether there are differences in the expression of progesterone receptor (PR) in intermediate trophoblastic cells of pregnancies ending in either spontaneous abortion (SAB) or elective abortion.

Design: Immunohistochemical identification of PR in intermediate trophoblastic cells.

Setting: Academic medical center.