Cell-free tumour DNA in bronchoalveolar lavage: a proof of concept study

ERJ Open Research 2026 Open access

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Authors: Eldar Priel, Kayla Zhang, Yinglan Xie, Layla Hawagi, John R. Goffin, Anna Dvorkin‐Gheva, Nisarg Radadia, Barak Pertzov, Lawrence Mbuagbaw, Z Brautigam, Katherine Radford, Sarah Svenningsen
+4 more Parameswaran Nair, Guillaume Paré, Manali Mukherjee, Y. Shargall
DOI: 10.1183/23120541.01441-2025
Cited by: 0
References: 13

Abstract

Extract Molecular analysis is increasingly integral to lung cancer evaluation and management [1]. While evidence of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) has existed for decades [2], research in this field centers on ctDNA detection primarily in peripheral blood, which may present limitations. These include reduced sensitivity [3, 4], the potential of false negatives due to low tumor burden or shedding [5], and the possibility that lung compartmentalization may prevent cancer cells from appearing in systematic circulation [6]. We hypothesized that bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) would exhibit an enrichment of lung cancer-derived cell-free DNA (cfDNA) detectable using digital PCR (dPCR), a precise method for nucleic acid quantification.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics Lung Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment Lung Cancer Treatments and Mutations

Publication details

Journal / source
ERJ Open Research
Volume
12
Issue
4
Pages
01441–2025
Publication date
26 February 2026
Language
EN