On-treatment measurements of circulating tumor DNA during FOLFOX therapy in patients with colorectal cancer.
Tina MoserJulie Waldispuehl-GeiglJelena BelicSabrina WeberQing ZhouSamantha O PerakisRicarda GrafJasmin Alia TerzicFlorian PoschHeinz SillSigurd F LaxKarl KashoferGerald HoeflerHelmut SchoellnastEllen HeitzerJochen B GeiglThomas BauernhoferMichael R SpeicherPublished in: NPJ precision oncology (2020)
We addressed a significant unknown feature of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), i.e., how ctDNA levels change during chemotherapy, by serially monitoring ctDNA in patients with colorectal cancer during the 48-h application of FOLFOX. Surprisingly, we did not observe a spike in ctDNA as a sign of a responsive tumor, but instead ctDNA levels initially decreased and remained low in patients with stable disease or partial response. Our observations reveal further insights into cell destruction during chemotherapy with important implications for the management of patients.