Patients with ctDNA alterations who received targeted therapy on the basis of these alterations survived longer than patients who did not receive targeted therapy.
Most patients with advanced non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) have tumors with actionable mutations, but two thirds of them are not receiving targeted therapy owing to gaps in clinical practice.
A liquid biopsy test used for molecular profiling in patients with solid tumors also identified patients who were at risk for clonal hematopoiesis, which may develop into myeloid blood cancer.
In one case, cancer was detected 16 months before it was diagnosed by conventional means. The study was published as a preprint and has not yet been peer reviewed.
A liquid biopsy to detect circulating tumor DNA after surgery for stage 2 colon cancer reduces the use of chemotherapy without sacrificing recurrence-free survival.