Unlocking the Power of ctDNA for Residual Disease, Resistance Monitoring, and Real-Time Treatment Decisions in GI Cancers: With Christopher Lieu, MD

Welcome to OncLive On Air®! I’m your host today, Courtney Flaherty.

OncLive On Air is a podcast from OncLive®, which provides oncology professionals with the resources and information they need to provide the best patient care. In both digital and print formats, OncLive covers every angle of oncology practice, from new technology to treatment advances to important regulatory decisions.

In this episode of OncLive On Air®, Christopher Lieu, MD, discusses the rapidly evolving role of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) across the gastrointestinal cancer landscape, from its emergence as a clinical tool to its potential to fundamentally transform how oncologists make treatment decisions.

Lieu is a professor of medicine, associate director for clinical research, and director of GI Medical Oncology at the University of Colorado Anshutz Cancer Center in Aurora, where he also holds the Sohrab Amini, MD, FACS, Endowed Chair in Pancreatic Cancer Research.

In the exclusive interview, Dr. Lieu explores where ctDNA currently holds its most established utility across colorectal cancer (CRC), pancreatic cancer, gastric cancer, and biliary tract cancers; how minimal residual disease (MRD) detection is reshaping adjuvant treatment decisions, including strategies for both escalation and de-escalation; and how liquid biopsy complements traditional tissue testing in capturing tumor heterogeneity and clonal evolution. He also weighs in on data from the phase 3 CIRCULATE trial (NCT04089631)in stage II colon cancer and findings on ctDNA clearance in microsatellite instability–high metastatic CRC following immune checkpoint inhibition, while sharing practical guidance for community oncologists navigating testing workflows, reimbursement hurdles, and interpretation pitfalls.

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