Dr. Philip on the Emerging Role of ctDNA in CRC

Tony Philip, MD, a medical oncologist at Monter Cancer Center of the North Shore, LIJ Cancer Institute, and an assistant professor of medicine at Hofstra-North Shore LIJ School of Medicine and New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, discusses the emerging role of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in colorectal cancer (CRC).

During the 2021 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium, data from a Danish cohort study demonstrated that postoperative ctDNA positivity was associated with markedly reduced relapse-free survival compared with carcinoembryonic antigen in patients with stage I to III CRC. Moreover, serial ctDNA analysis detected minimal residual disease up to a median of 8 months ahead of radiologic relapse. As such, ctDNA appears to be a useful tool in predicting disease recurrence, says Philip.

Additional data are needed to validate ctDNA as a predictive biomarker that is ready for primetime use, Philip explains. Clinical trials, such as the BEACON CRC study and the ongoing COBRA study (NCT04068103), may yield informative data regarding the utility of ctDNA in this setting, concludes Philip.