To evaluate the role of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in guiding treatment decisions for older women with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer.
Key Findings:
ctDNA status closely tracked with imaging results.
Persistent ctDNA after 6 months indicated tumor progression.
No patients with negative ctDNA at baseline experienced progression.
Pretreatment ctDNA positivity was linked to increased progression risk.
ctDNA testing allows for decentralized monitoring through routine blood draws.
Interpretation:
ctDNA testing may serve as a minimally invasive biomarker to stratify treatment and monitor disease progression in older breast cancer patients, potentially reducing the need for invasive procedures.
Limitations:
The study involved a small sample size.
Findings are not yet practice-changing.
Conclusion:
If validated in larger trials, ctDNA testing could lead to more personalized and less invasive management of breast cancer in elderly patients.
This twice-monthly newsletter highlights recently published research where Dana-Farber faculty are listed as first or senior authors. The information is pulled from PubMed and this issue notes papers published from April 16 - 30.
