3.4 kb mitochondrial DNA deletion for use in the detection of cancer

摘要

A method is described wherein prostate or breast cancer is detected by quantifying a 3.4-kilobase deletion in the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of a test sample. The deletion is located between nucleotides 10744-14124 of the mitochondrial genome. An increase in the amount of the deletion relative to the amount of the deletion in non-cancerous prostate and breast tissue is indicative of prostate and breast cancer, respectively. The deletion is detected by detecting the sublimon, i.e. the re-circularized deleted fragment that corresponds to SEQ ID NO:1.