Circulating tumor DNA is readily detectable among Ghanaian breast cancer patients supporting non-invasive cancer genomic studies in Africa

Samuel Terkper Ahuno, Anna-Lisa Doebley, Thomas U. Ahearn, Joel Yarney, Nicholas Titiloye, Nancy Hamel, Ernest Adjei, Joe-Nat Clegg-Lamptey, Lawrence Edusei, Baffour Awuah, Xiaoyu Song, Verna Vanderpuye, Mustapha Abubakar, Maire Duggan, Daniel G. Stover, Kofi Nyarko, John M. S. Bartlett, Francis Aitpillah, Daniel Ansong, Kevin L. Gardner, Felix Andy Boateng, Anne M. Bowcock, Carlos Caldas, William D. Foulkes, Seth Wiafe, Beatrice Wiafe-Addai, Montserrat Garcia-Closas, Alexander Kwarteng, Gavin Ha+, Jonine D. Figueroa+, Paz Polak+ & the Ghana Breast Health Study Team
npj Precision Oncology 5, 83 (2021).

Abstract

Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) sequencing studies could provide novel insights into the molecular pathology of cancer in sub-Saharan Africa. In 15 patient plasma samples collected at the time of diagnosis as part of the Ghana Breast Health Study and unselected for tumor grade and subtype, ctDNA was detected in a majority of patients based on whole- genome sequencing at high (30×) and low (0.1×) depths. Breast cancer driver copy number alterations were observed in the majority of patients.