Role of ctDNA for the detection of minimal residual disease in resected non-small cell lung cancer: a systematic review.
Transl Lung Cancer Res 2022;
11:2588-2600. [PMID:
36636413 PMCID:
PMC9830273 DOI:
10.21037/tlcr-22-390]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2022] [Accepted: 10/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Background
Operable stage I-III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has a high risk of recurrence, mainly due to remnant clones of the disease defined as minimal residual disease (MRD). Adjuvant chemotherapy has a limited efficacy in reducing the risk of relapse, and prognostic as well as predictive biomarkers in this context are currently missing.
Methods
We performed a systematic review to evaluate the state of the art about the role of circulating tumor DNA detection through liquid biopsy for the assessment of MRD in resected early-stage NSCLC patients.
Results
Among the 650 studies identified, 13 were eligible and included. Although highly heterogeneous, all the studies demonstrated a poor prognosis in patients with post-operative MRD, with a detection rate ranging from 6% to 45%. MRD detection preceded radiographic/clinical recurrence by a mean of 5.5 months. MRD positive patients were most likely to benefit from adjuvant treatment in terms of recurrence-free survival (RFS). Consistently, adjuvant therapy did not minimize the risk of relapse in the MRD negative group.
Conclusions
Liquid biopsy has a relevant role in assessing post-surgical MRD in resected NSCLC. Since currently there are no criteria other than stage and risk factors for the choice of adjuvant treatment in this setting, post-operative assessment of MRD through liquid biopsy might be a promising approach to guide the decision.
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