Minimal Residual Disease using a Plasma-Only Circulating Tumor DNA Assay to Predict Recurrence of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Following Curative Intent Treatment
Abstract. Purpose: Minimal residual disease (MRD) detection identifies patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma (CRC) likely to recur following definitive treatment. We evaluated a plasma only MRD assay to predict recurrence and survival in metastatic CRC patients undergoing curative intent procedures (surgery and/or radiotherapy), with or without (neo)adjuvant chemotherapy. The primary objective of this study was to assess the correlation of post-procedure tumor cfDNA detection status with radiographic disease recurrence (RFS). Experimental Design: Pre- and post-procedure longitudinal samples were collected from 53 patients and analyzed with a multiomic MRD assay detecting circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) from genomic and epigenomic signals. Pre- and post-procedure ctDNA detection correlated with recurrence-free and overall survival. Results: 230/233 samples from 52 patients were successfully analyzed. At the time of data cutoff, 36 (69.2%) patients recurred with median follow-up of 31 mo