Evaluation of the diagnostic and prognostic clinical values of circulating tumor DNA and cell-free DNA in pancreatic malignancies: a comprehensive meta-analysis (original) (raw)

Circulating Tumor DNA as a Clinical Test in Resected Pancreatic Cancer

Clinical Cancer Research, 2019

Purpose: In research settings, circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) shows promise as a tumor-specific biomarker for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). This study aims to perform analytical and clinical validation of a KRAS ctDNA assay in a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) and College of American Pathology–certified clinical laboratory. Experimental Design: Digital-droplet PCR was used to detect the major PDAC-associated somatic KRAS mutations (G12D, G12V, G12R, and Q61H) in liquid biopsies. For clinical validation, 290 preoperative and longitudinal postoperative plasma samples were collected from 59 patients with PDAC. The utility of ctDNA status to predict PDAC recurrence during follow-up was assessed. Results: ctDNA was detected preoperatively in 29 (49%) patients and was an independent predictor of decreased recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS). Patients who had neoadjuvant chemotherapy were less likely to have preoperative ctDNA than were chem...

Plasma Circulating Tumor DNA in Pancreatic Cancer Patients Is a Prognostic Marker

Clinical Cancer Research, 2016

Purpose: Despite recent therapeutic advances, prognosis of patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma remains poor. Analyses from tumor tissues present limitations; identification of informative marker from blood might be a promising alternative. The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility and the prognostic value of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Experimental Design: From 2011 to 2015, blood samples were prospectively collected from all consecutive patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma treated in our center. Identification of ctDNA was done with next-generation sequencing targeted on referenced mutations in pancreatic adenocarcinoma and with picoliter droplet digital PCR. Results: A total of 135 patients with resectable (n = 31; 23%), locally advanced (n = 36; 27%), or metastatic (n = 68; 50%) pancreatic adenocarcinoma were included. In patients with advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma (n = 104), 48% (n = 50) had ctDNA detectable with a median mut...

Utility of circulating tumor DNA for predicting prognosis in the management of resectable pancreatic cancer

Journal of Cancer Metastasis and Treatment, 2022

Background: The measurement of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) has been studied in several malignancies, including metastatic pancreatic cancer, but less is known about its utility in monitoring treatment response and recurrence in resectable pancreatic cancer. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of the literature examining the association of ctDNA with overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival. Results: Five articles met our exclusion criteria. Baseline and/or postoperative ctDNA was found to be associated with decreased OS and recurrence-free survival. Discussion: ctDNA has the potential to be used as a prognostic biomarker and to guide therapy in resectable pancreatic cancer.

Circulating Tumor DNA-Based Testing and Actionable Findings in Patients with Advanced and Metastatic Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma

The Oncologist, 2021

Purpose Recent advances in molecular diagnostic technologies allow for the evaluation of solid tumor malignancies through noninvasive blood sampling, including circulating tumor DNA profiling (ctDNA). Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has a poor prognosis, often because of late presentation of disease. Diagnosis is often made using endoscopic ultrasound or endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography, which often does not yield enough tissue for next-generation sequencing. With this study, we sought to characterize the ctDNA genomic alteration landscape in patients with advanced PDAC with a focus on actionable findings. Materials and Methods From December 2014 through October 2019, 357 samples collected from 282 patients with PDAC at Mayo Clinic underwent ctDNA testing using a clinically available assay. The majority of samples were tested using the 73-gene panel which includes somatic genomic targets, including complete or critical exon coverage in 30 and 40 genes, respecti...

Circulating tumor DNA as a prognostic indicator in resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Scientific Reports, 2019

Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is a promising prognostic biomarker in various cancers. Due to the high recurrence rate of resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), effective strategies for prognostic stratification are necessary. Yet, for resectable PDAC, prognostic impact of ctDNA lacks systemic evidence. We sought to investigate the prognostic significance of baseline ctDNA and postoperative ctDNA in patients with resectable PDAC. PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane library were searched up to March 2019. Five studies met the inclusion criteria, and 375 patients were pooled for the meta-analysis. Positive ctDNA significantly indicated poor overall survival (at baseline, hazard ratio [HR] 2.27, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.13–4.56; postoperative, HR 3.66, 95% CI 1.45–9.28). Patients with detectable ctDNA showed the trend to have higher risk for disease recurrence than those without detectable ctDNA (at baseline, HR 1.96, 95% CI 0.65–5.87; postoperative, HR 2.20, 95% CI 0.99...

Adjunctive Use of Circulating Tumor DNA Testing in Detecting Pancreas Cancer Recurrence

Frontiers in Oncology

Liquid biopsies (circulating tumor DNA-ctDNA testing) are increasingly being utilized in clinical trials as well as practice for the detection of cancer, monitoring of tumor genomic abnormalities, response to treatment and early detection of relapse/recurrence. Here, we present a challenging case where liquid biopsy was used to confirm an early recurrence of pancreatic cancer where acquisition of tissue was not safe or feasible on more than one occasion.

Circulating tumor cells (Ctc) and kras mutant circulating free Dna (cfdna) detection in peripheral blood as biomarkers in patients diagnosed with exocrine pancreatic cancer

BMC cancer, 2015

Pancreatic cancer remains one of the most difficult cancers to treat with the poorest prognosis. The key to improving survival rates in this disease is early detection and monitoring of disseminated and residual disease. However, this is hindered due to lack reliable diagnostic and predictive markers which mean that the majority of patients succumb to their condition within a few months. We present a pilot study of the detection circulating free DNA (cfDNA) combined with tumor specific mutation detection by digital PCR as a novel minimally invasive biomarker in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). This was compared to the detection of CTC by the CellSearch® system and a novel CTC enrichment strategy based on CD45 positive cell depletion. The aim of the study was to assess tumor specific DNA detection in plasma and CTC detection as prognostic markers in PDAC. We detected KRAS mutant cfDNA in 26 % of patients of all stages and this correlated strongly with Overall Survival (OS), 6...

Profiling tumour heterogeneity through circulating tumour DNA in patients with pancreatic cancer

Oncotarget

The majority of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDAC) are diagnosed late so that surgery is rarely curative. Earlier detection could significantly increase the likelihood of successful treatment and improve survival. The aim of the study was to provide proof of principle that point mutations in key cancer genes can be identified by sequencing circulating free DNA (cfDNA) and that this could be used to detect early PDACs and potentially, premalignant lesions, to help target early effective treatment. Targeted next generation sequencing (tNGS) analysis of mutation hotspots in 50 cancer genes was conducted in 26 patients with PDAC, 14 patients with chronic pancreatitis (CP) and 12 healthy controls with KRAS status validated by digital droplet PCR. A higher median level of total cfDNA was observed in patients with PDAC (585 ng/ml) compared to either patients with CP (300 ng/ml) or healthy controls (175 ng/ml). PDAC tissue showed wide mutational heterogeneity, whereas KRAS was the most commonly mutated gene in cfDNA of patients with PDAC and was significantly associated with a poor disease specific survival (p=0.018). This study demonstrates that tNGS of cfDNA is feasible to characterise the circulating genomic profile in PDAC and that driver mutations in KRAS have prognostic value but cannot currently be used to detect early emergence of disease. Importantly, monitoring total cfDNA levels may have utility in individuals "at risk" and warrants further investigation.