Clinical value of perioperative levels of DNA and mRNA in plasma of patients with renal cell carcinoma

•Plasma levels of GAPDH cfDNA might be useful as complementary methods for diagnosis and prognosis of renal cell carcinoma.•Pre and postoperative levels of GAPDH cfDNA were independently associated with OS in renal cell carcinoma.•hTERT cfRNA was not a marker useful for diagnosis nor prognosis of renal cell cancer. The current challenge on renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is to finding a non-invasive biomarker for improving their diagnostic and therapeutic management. In the present study, we analyzed the clinical value of plasma levels of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) and RNA (cfRNA) of two genes: glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate-dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT). We recruited 82 patients with RCC, and 20 healthy subjects. Using RT-PCR techniques, plasma levels of cfDNA and cfRNA from hTERT and GAPDH genes were quantified pre- and post-operatively, and one year after surgery. Relationships between such plasma levels and clinicopathological features and evolution of disease were analyzed. Levels of GAPDH cfDNA and cfRNA were significantly higher in patients than in healthy subjects. hTERT cfDNA was detected in plasma from 35% of RCC patients and in none healthy subject. At diagnosis, plasma levels of GAPDH cfDNA were higher in advanced pT and TNM stages, and hTERT cfDNA in patients with 3–4 Fuhrman grade and affected lymph nodes. Levels of cfNAs were not related to the presence of metastasis. Following nephrectomy, GAPDH cfDNA levels dropped, and patients with higher levels before and after nephrectomy, showed lower overall survival (OS). However, Cox's multivariate model did not prove any association of the cfNA levels with progression. Plasma levels of cfDNA from GADPH and hTERT genes were correlated to tumor diagnosis and progression and, thus, such analyses might help to diagnosis and prognosis of RCC patients.