In a prospective cohort of 250 patients with stage II–III rectal cancer undergoing upfront surgery , researchers showed that postoperative circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is a powerful predictor of recurrence risk and adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT) benefit . Within the MRD window ( 2–10 weeks post-surgery ), 14.2% of patients were ctDNA-positive , and they had a ~10-fold higher recurrence risk (HR: 9.96, P<0.0001) compared to ctDNA-negative patients. Importantly, ctDNA-positive patients gained significant benefit from ACT (HR: 0.28, P=0.031) , whereas ctDNA-negative patients did not.
Persistent or newly positive ctDNA at 6 months post-surgery dramatically increased recurrence risk ( HR: 45.48 and 8.22, respectively ). To read more ; Click here Are we ready to make ctDNA testing a routine step in guiding adjuvant therapy decisions for rectal cancer patients? ##Reference## Ando K, Hamabe A,…
