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Bredno J, Venn O, Chen X, Freese P, Ofman JJ. Circulating Tumor DNA Allele Fraction: A Candidate Biological Signal for Multicancer Early Detection Tests to Assess the Clinical Significance of Cancers. THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PATHOLOGY 2022; 192:1368-1378. [PMID: 35948080 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2022.07.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2022] [Revised: 06/02/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Current imaging-based cancer screening approaches provide useful but limited prognostic information. Complementary to existing screening tests, cell-free DNA-based multicancer early detection (MCED) tests account for cancer biology [manifested through circulating tumor allele fraction (cTAF)], which could inform prognosis and help assess the cancer's clinical significance. This review discusses the factors affecting circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) levels and cTAF, and their correlation with the cancer's clinical significance. Furthermore, it discusses the influence of cTAF on MCED test performance, which could help inform prognosis. Clinically significant cancers show higher ctDNA levels quantified by cTAF than indolent phenotype cancers within each stage. This is because more frequent mitosis and cell death combined with increased trafficking of cell-free DNA into circulation leads to greater vascularization and depth of tumor invasion. cTAF has been correlated with biomarkers for cancer aggressiveness and overall survival; cancers with lower cTAF had better survival when compared with cancers as determined by the higher cTAF and Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-based survival for that cancer type at each stage. MCED-detected cancers in case-control studies had comparable survival to Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-based survival at each stage. Because many MCED tests use ctDNA as an analyte, cTAF could provide a common metric to compare performance. The prognostic value of cTAF may allow MCED tests to preferentially detect clinically significant cancers at early stages when outcomes are favorable and this may avoid overdiagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joerg Bredno
- GRAIL, LLC, a subsidiary of Illumina, Inc., Menlo Park, California
| | - Oliver Venn
- GRAIL, LLC, a subsidiary of Illumina, Inc., Menlo Park, California.
| | - Xiaoji Chen
- GRAIL, LLC, a subsidiary of Illumina, Inc., Menlo Park, California
| | - Peter Freese
- GRAIL, LLC, a subsidiary of Illumina, Inc., Menlo Park, California
| | - Joshua J Ofman
- GRAIL, LLC, a subsidiary of Illumina, Inc., Menlo Park, California
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Brierley J, O'Sullivan B, Asamura H, Byrd D, Huang SH, Lee A, Piñeros M, Mason M, Moraes FY, Rösler W, Rous B, Torode J, van Krieken JH, Gospodarowicz M. Global Consultation on Cancer Staging: promoting consistent understanding and use. Nat Rev Clin Oncol 2019; 16:763-771. [PMID: 31388125 PMCID: PMC7136160 DOI: 10.1038/s41571-019-0253-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Disease burden is the most important determinant of survival in patients with cancer. This domain, reflected by the cancer stage and codified using the tumour-node-metastasis (TNM) classification, is a fundamental determinant of prognosis. Accurate and consistent tumour classification is required for the development and use of treatment guidelines and to enable clinical research (including clinical trials), cancer surveillance and control. Furthermore, knowledge of the extent and stage of disease is frequently important in the context of translational studies. Attempts to include additional prognostic factors in staging classifications, in order to facilitate a more accurate determination of prognosis, are often made with a lack of knowledge and understanding and are one of the main causes of the inconsistent use of terms and definitions. This effect has resulted in uncertainty and confusion, thus limiting the utility of the TNM classification. In this Position paper, we provide a consensus on the optimal use and terminology for cancer staging that emerged from a consultation process involving representatives of several major international organizations involved in cancer classification. The consultation involved several steps: a focused literature review; a stakeholder survey; and a consultation meeting. This aim of this Position paper is to provide a consensus that should guide the use of staging terminology and secure the classification of anatomical disease extent as a distinct aspect of cancer classification.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Brierley
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
| | - Brian O'Sullivan
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | | | - David Byrd
- Department of Surgery, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Shao Hui Huang
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Anne Lee
- Department of Clinical Oncology, The University of Hong Kong and the University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Marion Piñeros
- Cancer Surveillance Section, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France
| | | | - Fabio Y Moraes
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Oncology, Kingston Health Sciences Center, Queen's University, Kingston, ON, Canada
| | - Wiebke Rösler
- Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Brian Rous
- National Cancer Registration Service, London, UK
| | - Julie Torode
- Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | - Mary Gospodarowicz
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
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