随着中国前列腺癌（PCa）的患病率不断上升，对新的诊断和治疗方法迫切需要。在PCa的临床应用中，广泛的研究已经对循环游离DNA（cfDNA）进行了调查。本综述旨在全面概述cfDNA作为PCa生物标志物的现状，并对其未来临床利用的优势和障碍进行研究。通过Pubmed搜索（2010-2022）对cfDNA作为PCa标志物的相关同行评审文献进行评估以评估cfDNA在PCa诊断、预后和预测中的作用。cfDNA主要由经历坏死和凋亡的细胞释放，能够无创地了解各种PCa疾病状态中的基因组、转录组和表观基因组变化。除了其他检测方法之外，下一代测序还能评估cfDNA的丰度、突变状态、片段特征和表观遗传修饰。基于cfDNA的多维分析可以促进PCa的早期检测、风险分层和治疗监测。然而，仍需对cfDNA检测方法进行标准化，以加速其临床应用。cfDNA提供了从PCa患者中获得多维信息的无创、快速和可重复的方式，可以帮助引导临床决策和增强患者管理。克服cfDNA的应用障碍需要加强数据共享和国际合作。© 2023 亚洲泌尿外科学杂志编辑部 Elsevier B.V.进行制作和托管。

With the escalating prevalence of prostate cancer (PCa) in China, there is an urgent demand for novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. Extensive investigations have been conducted on the clinical implementation of circulating free DNA (cfDNA) in PCa. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the present state of cfDNA as a biomarker for PCa and to examine its merits and obstacles for future clinical utilization.Relevant peer-reviewed manuscripts on cfDNA as a PCa marker were evaluated by PubMed search (2010-2022) to evaluate the roles of cfDNA in PCa diagnosis, prognosis, and prediction, respectively.cfDNA is primarily released from cells undergoing necrosis and apoptosis, allowing for non-invasive insight into the genomic, transcriptomic, and epigenomic alterations within various PCa disease states. Next-generation sequencing, among other detection methods, enables the assessment of cfDNA abundance, mutation status, fragment characteristics, and epigenetic modifications. Multidimensional analysis based on cfDNA can facilitate early detection of PCa, risk stratification, and treatment monitoring. However, standardization of cfDNA detection methods is still required to expedite its clinical application.cfDNA provides a non-invasive, rapid, and repeatable means of acquiring multidimensional information from PCa patients, which can aid in guiding clinical decisions and enhancing patient management. Overcoming the application barriers of cfDNA necessitates increased data sharing and international collaboration.© 2023 Editorial Office of Asian Journal of Urology. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V.