Cancer Research UK uses ctDNA profiling to stratify patients for early stage clinical trials

Cancer Research UK researchers used blood-based ctDNA profiling to match cancer patients with early stage clinical trials, reporting a preliminary efficiency of recruiting to a matched therapy of 11%. The researchers suggest that as more sensitive ctDNA assays are developed, it may be possible implement routine blood-based testing, which in certain cases could reduce the need for invasive tumor testing and the associated healthcare system costs.

In a paper published Monday in Nature Medicine, Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute researchers and colleagues reported results from Part A of the TARGET study, in which they used next-generation sequencing of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) from 100 patients with advanced cancers to profile tumors using a 641-gene panel, with the intent of stratifying the patients for Phase I trials...