The RFU cutoff used was greater than that for >50 negative blood samples from control patients at Johns Hopkins University.
For healthy controls, a blood sample was obtained at the time of blood donation.
In the present study all patients and controls donated a blood sample at the time of both ultrasound measurements, that is, at T0 and T5, and serum was stored at −80°C.
Blood samples from controls were taken at rest in the morning.
In the present study all patients and controls donated a blood sample at the time of the first ultrasound measurement.
Seventy-three percent of cases and 73% of controls donated a blood sample at the interview (Gammon et al. 2002a).
It should also be pointed out that control mice without tumor xenografts were used in order to get blood samples for the controls at the later time points.
Blood samples of controls and patients were collected at the time of presentation and analyzed for total thiols, glutathione, vitamin C and malondialdehyde (MDA-marker of oxidative stress).
At the time of blood sampling, all controls were free of pharmacological treatments.
Control blood samples were drawn at the time participant well-visit or enrollment into one of the control registries.
