# Stability of endogenous and added RNA in blood specimens, serum, and plasma

Source: https://onco.cc/key-papers/paper-tsui-plasma-rna-stability-clin-chem-2002/  
OnCo record `paper-tsui-plasma-rna-stability-clin-chem-2002` (Key paper). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

A laboratory study showing that the body's own RNA in plasma is protected and stable, while free RNA added to plasma is destroyed within seconds.

## Summary

Plasma RNA concentrations from uncentrifuged blood left at 4 degrees for 0, 6 and 24 hours did not differ significantly (P = 0.182), and a single freeze-thaw cycle had no significant effect, while more than 99 per cent of free added RNA could no longer be amplified after 15 seconds in plasma.

## Fields

- Kind: Key paper
- Last checked: 2026-11-04
- Journal: Clinical Chemistry
- Year: 2002
- DOI: 10.1093/clinchem/48.10.1647
- Authors: Tsui NBY, Ng EKO, Lo YMD
- Findings: >99% of added free RNA unamplifiable after 15 seconds in plasma.; Endogenous plasma RNA stable for 24 hours at 4 degrees in whole blood.
- What it means: Tumour RNA reaches a blood test only if it is packaged; how much of a tumour cell's RNA survives that way is unknown.
- Caveats: Healthy volunteers; one housekeeping gene.

## Sources

- Tsui et al., Clin Chem 2002: https://doi.org/10.1093/clinchem/48.10.1647
- PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12324479/

## Connected records

- fronts: [Diagnostics & Biomarkers](https://onco.cc/fronts/diagnostics/)
- technologies: [Liquid RNA biopsy (cell-free, vesicle and platelet RNA)](https://onco.cc/technologies/liquid-rna-biopsy/)
- terms: [Biomarker](https://onco.cc/terms/biomarker/)
- ideas: [Read tumour RNA and tumour DNA from the same blood draw to find and type residual cancer](https://onco.cc/ideas/idea-stack-ctdna-and-tumour-rna-residual-disease/)

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