A Hidden DNA can Help Avoid Chemotherapy

It appears according to a new study that those who have a negative liquid biopsy can avoid chemotherapy - without any increased risk of recurrence - if they have blood circulating tumour DNA in their system.

When circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) is not present in the blood after surgery for stage II colon cancer, postoperative chemotherapy can be skipped without compromising recurrence-free survival. According to a news release, post-surgical chemotherapy is associated with a low recurrence rate among patients who have ctDNA after surgery.

According to the study authors, only 15% of patients who underwent a liquid biopsy were treated with chemotherapy, compared to 28% of patients treated with standard therapy for stage II colon cancer.

The study is the first to show that patients can benefit significantly from ctDNA guidance after surgery.

Cancer recurrence is lower for stage II colon cancer patients who do not have ctDNA to guide treatment. The team is hopeful that these findings will change the way we treat cancer.