ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT Early detection of the brain gliomas is crucial for a successful management and satisfactory outcome. Different from the other tumors of human body that may produce specic proteins that are used as tumor markers, brain tumors do not release specic biomarkers into the blood circulation. The development of molecular techniques has opened up the potential of utilizing circulating nucleic acids as prospective tumor markers for brain tumors. Gliomas are one of the most commonly diagnosed adult primary tumors of the brain, and the most common types of gliomas are astrocytomas, oligodendrogliomas, and ependymomas. DNA fragments in human uids may be potential biomarkers in patients with brain gliomas. Many studies exist for the use of brain tumor-derived circulating DNA as a diagnostic and research tool, and it is feasible to use the DNA fragments as noninvasive brain tumor marker. Methylated tumor-specic DNA is in use as a plasma biomarker in patients with glioma. For astrocytomas, the markers included promoter hypermethylation of both MGMT and PTEN and LOH of 10q. For oligodendroglial tumors, MGMT promoter methylation and LOH analysis of 10q, 1p, and 19q are potential biomarkers. None of these biomarkers have proven to be powerful enough to replace tissue diagnosis because their sensitivity and specicity for brain gliomas are limited and further studies are needed for noninvasive detection, follow-up, or prognostication of brain gliomas. In the near future, early and more accurate detection of such biomarkers make easy the follow-up and management of these tumors.
