Author Spotlight: Advancing VRL Diagnosis Using Cell-Free DNA Extraction from Vitreous Humor

With this research, we are attempting to use molecular testing of vitreous humor collected from the eye by vitrectomy to diagnose vitreoretinal lymphoma or VRL, which is an aggressive disease whose symptoms overlap those of common inflammatory ocular conditions. Cytopathology flow cytometry and molecular testing are current methods used to diagnose VRL. Published sensitivities of non molecular methods are 44 to 90%for cytopathology and 50 to 60%for flow cytometry, cytopathology, flow cytometry and molecular testing with cellular DNA requires intact neoplastic cells.

That poses a problem in vitreous humor specimens because the volume and cellularity of these specimens is low and cells can be degraded by apoptosis as well as specimen collection, processing and storage. We found that cell-free DNA extracted from vitreous fluid specimens provides another source of DNA from molecular testing that does not require intact cells, and that also shows evidence of VRL and can be used to diagnose this lymphoma. Cell-free DNA extraction offers molecular testing without intact neoplastic cells.

This allows maximizing the utility of vitreous specimens as intact cells can be reserved for cytopathology and flow cytometry while utilizing the remaining supernatant fluid that would otherwise be discarded for molecular testing.