Bronchoalveolar Lavage: A Potential Target in Cancer Research

Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) supernatant may serve as a possible target in early-stage lung cancer research, a recent study showed.

Between June and December 2022, 61 patients with lung cancer who were a median age of 65 years were enrolled in a clinical trial by Haihua Huang and colleagues. Most patients had lung squamous cell carcinomas or minimally invasive carcinomas, and 73.8% of patients had stage I or II disease.

The abundance of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in BAL was investigated by the researchers, and tissue samples were used to design the personalized MarRyDa assay for ctDNA detection.

Finally, DNA extracted from BAL fluid (n=17) and plasma (n=48) was genotyped using the MarRyDa platform.

The researchers saw significant differences in the ctDNA detection rate for histological subtypes and disease stages. Moreover, they found that DNA purified from BAL supernatants contained the highest levels of ctDNA compared with BAL precipitates and plasma.

However, there are challenges with BAL in clinical practice, the researchers said. For instance, BAL is more difficult to retrieve than plasma. “For patients who cannot retrieve a better tissue sample, performing personalized ctDNA testing may still be worth a try,” the researchers said.

In addition, the study demonstrated that tumor cellularity played a significant role in the design of a personalized ctDNA panel.