Benjamin Weinberg, MD

Dr. Weinberg envisions increasing ctDNA incorporation into adjuvant decision-making, anticipating that Circulate North America results will provide comfort for de-escalating ctDNA-negative patients while escalating ctDNA-positive patients.

Dr. Raez addresses choosing between tumor-informed and tumor-naïve platforms, noting no formal prospective comparison exists.

Dr. Weinberg addresses where evidence is strongest versus where the field risks getting ahead of itself.

Dr. Teplinsky, reflecting on commonalities across tumor types, notes that although the discussion focused on early-stage breast cancer, increasing ctDNA use exists in metastatic disease to identify treatment-emergent mutations guiding therapy selection, representing a different application context.

Dr. Raez discusses IASLC 2025 data, now published in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology, representing important progress for lung cancer's MRD research, which has historically lagged behind gastrointestinal and genitourinary cancers.

Dr. Weinberg addresses practical workflows for ctDNA-positive, imaging-negative patients, noting no current standard of care exists despite NCCN guidelines addressing elevated CEA management.

Dr. Weinberg discusses 2 major observational datasets informing colorectal cancer ctDNA practice.

Dr. Teplinsky discusses the evolving breast cancer surveillance paradigm, noting historical data showing routine imaging surveillance doesn't impact outcomes, though this data predates modern imaging technology.

Dr. Grivas confirms ctDNA integration into multidisciplinary tumor boards is increasing, describing his bladder cancer multidisciplinary clinic involving urology, medical oncology, radiation oncology, and pathology/radiology review focused on localized muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

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).

Benjamin A. Weinberg, MD, FACP, discusses how biomarker status guides third-line treatment selection in mCRC.

Benjamin A. Weinberg, MD, discusses the rationale for examining BXCL701 plus pembrolizumab in mPDAC.

Benjamin A. Weinberg, MD, FACP, discusses the clinical implications of data with BXCL701 plus pembrolizumab in metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

Benjamin A. Weinberg, MD, FACP, discusses preliminary efficacy and safety findings from BXCL701 with pembrolizumab in microsatellite-stable mPDAC.

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.

Benjamin Adam Weinberg, MD, discusses the ability of ctDNA-based MRD detection to predict the benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy in resected CRC.

The panelists provide their final thoughts, exploring the prospective treatment landscape for patients with CRC.

The expert panel continues the discussion with thoughts on gaps in our understanding and application of MRD testing for colorectal cancer and a look to the future, highlighting potential advancements.

Stacey Cohen, MD, discusses the rationale and study design of the phase 2/3 CIRCULATE-NORTH AMERICA study evaluating adjuvant chemotherapy selection based on MRD, and the panel discusses barriers to enrollment.

The panel continues its review of data presented on MRD testing in colorectal cancer from the INTERCEPT and COSMOS-CRC-01 studies.

The panel reviews recent data on MRD testing in colorectal cancer, highlighting the INTERCEPT and COSMOS-CRC-01 studies.

Benjamin A. Weinberg, MD, presents the case of a 35-year-old man with oligometastatic disease, and the panel provides insights on treatment decisions.

Pashtoon Murtaza Kasi, MD, MS, emphasizes key aspects of liquid biopsy and ctDNA testing in the MRD treatment landscape.

Pashtoon Murtaza Kasi, MD, MS, reviews data from the BESPOKE CRC study, highlighting overall results and patient-reported outcomes.

Focusing on the GALAXY arm in the CIRCULATE-Japan study, experts on colorectal cancer discuss how recent data are informing the evolving treatment landscape.

John L. Marshall, MD, presents the case of a 52-year-old woman with mid-rectal carcinoma, and the panel offers its initial impressions.

The panel discusses how MRD testing has evolved as a clinical tool in colorectal cancer, highlighting the phase 2/3 COBRA study and its implications.

Experts on colorectal cancer discuss practical considerations related to MRD testing, highlighting strategies to navigate potential challenges.