A Practical Approach to Interpreting Circulating Tumor DNA in the Management of Gastrointestinal Cancers

Allan, Z; Liu, DS; Lee, MM; Tie, J; Clemons, NJ

Author(s): Allan, Z; Liu, DS; Lee, MM; Tie, J; Clemons, NJ;
Details: Publication Year 2024-01-04,Volume 70,Issue #1,Page 49-59
Journal Title: Clinical Chemistry
Abstract: BACKGROUND: There is accumulating evidence supporting the clinical use of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in solid tumors, especially in different types of gastrointestinal cancer. As such, appraisal of the current and potential clinical utility of ctDNA is needed to guide clinicians in decision-making to facilitate its general applicability. CONTENT: In this review, we firstly discuss considerations surrounding specimen collection, processing, storage, and analysis, which affect reporting and interpretation of results. Secondly, we evaluate a selection of studies on colorectal, esophago-gastric, and pancreatic cancer to determine the level of evidence for the use of ctDNA in disease screening, detection of molecular residual disease (MRD) and disease recurrence during surveillance, assessment of therapy response, and guiding targeted therapy. Lastly, we highlight current limitations in the clinical utility of ctDNA and future directions. SUMMARY: Current evidence of ctDNA in gastrointestinal cancer is promising but varies depending on its specific clinical role and cancer type. Larger prospective trials are needed to validate different aspects of ctDNA clinical utility, and standardization of collection protocols, analytical assays, and reporting guidelines should be considered to facilitate its wider applicability.
Publisher: Oxford Academic
Keywords: Humans; *Circulating Tumor DNA/genetics; *Gastrointestinal Neoplasms/diagnosis/genetics; *Pancreatic Neoplasms; Prospective Studies
Research Division(s): Personalised Oncology
PubMed ID: 38175583
Publisher's Version: https://doi.org/10.1093/clinchem/hvad188
Terms of Use/Rights Notice: Refer to copyright notice on published article.

Creation Date: 2024-01-25 09:17:52

Last Modified: 2024-01-25 09:21:56