ASCO 2026: A New Way to Track HPV Cancer - Summary - MDSpire

ASCO 2026: A New Way to Track HPV Cancer

A head-to-head comparison of ctDNA and ctHPV DNA reveals complementary insights into treatment response and recurrence risk

  • By

  • Jessica Allerton

  • June 18, 2026

  • 3 min

Share

Objective:

To evaluate the effectiveness of blood-based biomarkers in monitoring treatment response and detecting recurrence in HPV-associated head and neck cancer.

Approach:
    Key Findings:
    • Both assays demonstrated 100% detection prior to treatment.
    • An overall percent agreement of 91% was observed across 85 longitudinal samples.
    • ctHPV DNA was consistently detected at higher absolute levels compared to ctDNA.
    • In cases where ctHPV DNA was positive but ctDNA was negative, this occurred during neoadjuvant treatment monitoring.
    Interpretation:

    Conclusion:

    Ongoing analyses will define how these tools can be optimally integrated into response assessment, treatment adaptation, and surveillance strategies.

Original Source(s)

ASCO 2026: A New Way to Track HPV Cancer

  • by Jessica Allerton

  • June 18, 2026

Related Content

ctDNA Tracks Relapse Risk in Breast Cancer

Personalized liquid biopsy testing identified molecular residual disease months before clinical recurrence

  • June 9, 2026

  • 2 min
Mapping Cancer Through Cell Surface Sugars

New imaging approach identifies distinct glycan signatures in tumors, immune cells, and healthy tissue

  • June 1, 2026

  • 2 min
Case Report: Recurrent uterine inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor harboring IGFBP5-ALK fusion with sustained response to iruplinalkib