Longitudinal monitoring of circulating tumor DNA to predict treatment outcomes in advanced cancers
Dr. Filip Janku
The response to cancer therapies is typically assessed with radiologic imaging 6-10 weeks after treatment initiation. Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), however, has a short-half-life, and dynamic changes in ctDNA quantity may allow for earlier assessment of the therapeutic response. A study at MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston, TX) showed that in patients with advanced solid tumors, genomically informed longitudinal monitoring of ctDNA could be used to predict treatment outcomes as early as day 21 of the first cycle. Progression in ctDNA quantity preceded or co-occurred with clinical progression in most patients.The authors propose ctDNA response criteria, which, if validated, can be used instead of or complement imaging-based assessment.
