Benjamin Weinberg, MD

Articles by Benjamin Weinberg, MD

Dr. Weinberg explains the treatment on molecular recurrence (TOMR) concept, drawing parallels to biochemical relapse monitoring in prostate cancer. In colorectal cancer, patients with positive ctDNA after completing curative-intent surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy will experience radiographic recurrence at a median of approximately 5.5 months, representing a population potentially amenable to curative intervention through escalated imaging to identify oligometastatic disease suitable for metastasectomy, or enrollment in novel drug development trials.

Dr. Teplinsky addresses where ctDNA and MRD testing fit within the patient care continuum, noting that value isn't uniform across disease stages or tumor types. The strongest signal currently exists in the post-treatment surveillance setting, where tumor-informed assays can identify patients at higher recurrence risk before disease becomes visible on imaging.

Dr. John Strickler introduces the program on circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) and minimal residual disease (MRD) testing across solid tumors, joined by Dr. Eleonora Teplinsky (breast and gynecologic oncology, Valley Health System), Dr. Ben Weinberg (gastrointestinal oncology, Georgetown University), Dr. Petros Grivas (genitourinary oncology, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center), and Dr. Luis Raez (thoracic oncology, Memorial Healthcare System).

Prognostic and predictive role of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in stage III colon cancer treated with celecoxib: Findings from CALGB (Alliance)/SWOG 80702

Dr. Benjamin Weinberg presents findings from a ctDNA-based analysis of the CALGB/SWOG 80702 trial, showing that circulating tumor DNA status may help identify patients with stage III colon cancer who could benefit from celecoxib added to standard adjuvant chemotherapy, offering a potential biomarker-driven approach to personalized treatment.