cfDNA fragmentomics biology — what each feature measures and how to interpret it for ctDNA detection.
Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in plasma is released during cell death. Cancer cells contribute "circulating tumor DNA" (ctDNA) with distinct fragmentation patterns:
| Feature | What it measures | Direction in ctDNA+ |
|---|
| FSC core_short_ratio | Fraction of 120-150bp fragments | ↑ increased |
| FSR short_long_ratio | Short / Long fragment ratio | ↑ increased |
| MDS score | Global methylation from fragment ends | Variable |
| OCF z-score | Tissue-of-origin signal strength | ↑ if tissue contributing |
| ATAC z-score | Chromatin accessibility deviation from normal | ↑ or ↓ depending on mark |
| WPS periodicity_score | Regularity of nucleosome spacing | ↓ disrupted |
| EndMotif entropy | Diversity of end motifs | Changed |