Dr. Kasi on Findings From the CRC-MRD Consortia in CRC

Pashtoon M. Kasi, MD, MS, ​assistant professor of internal medicine, Hematology, Oncology, and Blood and Marrow Transplantation, University of Iowa, discusses findings from the CRC-MRD Consortia in colorectal cancer (CRC).

During the 2020 ASCO Virtual Scientific Program, data regarding Signatera, a personalized, tumor-informed assay that can detect circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) and minimal residual disease (MRD) in patients with CRC were presented virtually. Notably, this large trial evaluated over 500 patients in both early-stage and oligometastatic disease with over 700 MRD samples, Kasi says. 

This was one of the first studies to provide MRD detection rates, Kasi explains. For example, the field can now determine if patients have detectable ctDNA or MRD after curative intent surgery. In addition, the findings support the fact that patients with stage 2 T4N0 tumors may have a worse prognosis compared with patients with stage 3 T3N1 tumors, Kasi concludes.