Key clinical point: The assessment of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) performed postoperatively, postadjuvantly, and serially during surveillance could help predict the risk of recurrence and the outcome of adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT) in patients with stage III colorectal cancer (CRC).
Major finding: Presence of ctDNA was associated with shorter recurrence-free survival postoperatively (hazard ratio, [HR], 7.0; P < .001) and after the completion of ACT (HR, 50.76; P < .001). Only patients with complete clearance of ctDNA during ACT did not relapse. Similarly, serial ctDNA assessed after the end of treatment was predictive of recurrence (HR, 50.80; P < .001).
Study details: This prospective study included 160 patients with stage III CRC treated with curative intent.
Disclosures: The study was supported by Novo Nordisk Foundation, Danish Cancer Society, Dansk Kræftforskningsfond, Krista and Viggo Petersen Foundation, and others. S Sharma, D Renner, D Hafez, H HHhSethi, and A Aleshin declared being employees of Natera, Inc.
Source: Henriksen TV et al. Clin Cancer Res. 2021 Oct 8. doi: 10.1158/1078-0432.CCR-21-2404 .