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Lam RCT, Johnson D, Lam G, Li MLY, Wong JWL, Lam WKJ, Chan KCA, Ma B. Clinical applications of circulating tumor-derived DNA in the management of gastrointestinal cancers – current evidence and future directions. Front Oncol 2022; 12:970242. [PMID: 36248993 PMCID: PMC9556664 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.970242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2022] [Accepted: 09/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Advances in Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies have enabled the accurate detection and quantification of circulating tumor-derived (ct)DNA in most gastrointestinal (GI) cancers. The prognostic and predictive utility of ctDNA in patiets with different stages of colorectal (CRC), gastro-esophageal (GEC) and pancreaticobiliary cancers (PBC) are currently under active investigation. The most mature clinical data to date are derived from studies in the prognostic utility of personalized ctDNA-based NGS assays in the detection of minimal residual disease (MRD) and early recurrence after surgery in CRC and other GI cancers. These findings are being validated in several prospective studies which are designed to test if ctDNA could outperform conventional approaches in guiding adjuvant chemotherapy, and in post-operative surveillance in some GI cancers. Several adaptive studies using ctDNA as a screening platform are also being used to identify patients with actionable genomic alterations for clinical trials of targeted therapies. In the palliative setting, ctDNA monitoring during treatment has shown promise in the detection and tracking of clonal variants associated with acquired resistance to targeted therapies and immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICI). Moreover, ctDNA may help to guide the therapeutic re-challenge of targeted therapies in patients who have prior exposure to such treatment. This review will examine the most updated research findings on ctDNA as a biomarker in CRC, GEC and PBCs. It aims to provide insights into how the unique strengths of this biomarker could be optimally leveraged in improving the management of these GI cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel C. T. Lam
- Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - David Johnson
- Department of Clinical Oncology, State Key Laboratory of Translational Oncology, Sir Y. K Pao Centre for Cancer, Hong Kong Cancer Institute, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Gigi Lam
- Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Michelle L. Y. Li
- Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Joyce W. L. Wong
- Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - W. K. Jacky Lam
- Department of Chemical Pathology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - K. C. Allen Chan
- Department of Chemical Pathology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Brigette Ma
- Department of Clinical Oncology, State Key Laboratory of Translational Oncology, Sir Y. K Pao Centre for Cancer, Hong Kong Cancer Institute, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
- *Correspondence: Brigette Ma,
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