Systematic review and meta-analysis of prognostic value of circulating tumor DNA in early-stage triple-negative breast cancer

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) carries a worse prognosis relative to other breast cancer subtypes. Systematic review and meta-analysis of 20 publications (1202 patients) investigated the prognostic value of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in early-stage TNBC. In studies that reported recurrence as a time-to-event outcome, post-neoadjuvant (before or after surgery) ctDNA-positive status was associated with a higher likelihood of disease recurrence (HR 4.12; 95% CI 2.81-6.04). ctDNA-positive status also was associated with worse overall survival (HR 3.26; 95% CI 1.881-5.63; three studies; n=358). The authors conclude that ctDNA could be used as a prognostic biomarker to anticipate the risk of relapse in early-stage TNBC.