Early Detection and Minimal Residual Disease
Despite considerable advances in cancer genomics, direct benefits for patients in the clinic have been slow to come thus far from this area of research. Opportunities to advance patient care include those linked with the development of new technologies for early tumor detection, and translational and clinical research in the areas of early detection, such as the detection of minimal residual disease, hold promise for improving patient outcomes.
Circulating tumor DNA shed by tumors into the bloodstream has been shown to be a potent liquid biomarker of cancer. In this special issue, Aadel Chaudhuri, Angela Hirbe, Jack Shern and colleagues utilize circulating tumor DNA detected in blood plasma to distinguish between neurofibromatosis patients with frank malignancy (in this case malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor) and those harboring only the benign precursor lesion.
The editors at PLOS Medicine are delighted to present this work and other articles in this special issue, which have the potential to usher in new technologies for earlier cancer detection, which could facilitate earlier diagnosis and better survival for cancer patients worldwide.
Image Credit: Aadel Chaudhuri, Angela Hirbe, Jack Shern, Jeff Szymanski, Taylor Sundby, DrawImpacts
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Image creditNIH Image Gallery (original image by Alex Ritter, Jennifer Lippincott Schwartz and Gillian Griffiths, National Institutes of Health)Speaking of Medicine and Health Editor’s Choice: PLOS Medicine Special Issue: Early Detection and Minimal Residual Disease
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Speaking of Medicine and Health ctDNA: An emerging neoadjuvant biomarker in resectable solid tumors
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PLOS Medicine Cancer Special Issue: Early detection and minimal residual disease
Beryne Odeny discusses PLOS Medicine’s Special Issue on early cancer detection and minimal residual…
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Image creditNon-small Cell Carcinoma of the Lung, FNA by Ed Uthman, CC BY 2.0PLOS Medicine ctDNA: An emerging neoadjuvant biomarker in resectable solid tumors
Christopher Abbosh and Charles Swanton discuss circulating tumor DNA as a potential biomarker for neoadjuvant treatment response in solid…
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PLOS Medicine Combining simple blood tests to identify primary care patients with unexpected weight loss for cancer investigation: Clinical risk score development, internal validation, and net benefit analysis
Background: Unexpected weight loss (UWL) is a presenting feature of cancer in primary care. Existing research proposes simple combinations…
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PLOS Medicine Cell-free DNA ultra-low-pass whole genome sequencing to distinguish malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST) from its benign precursor lesion: A cross-sectional study
Background: The leading cause of mortality for patients with the neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) cancer predisposition syndrome is the…
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PLOS Medicine Urine tumor DNA detection of minimal residual disease in muscle-invasive bladder cancer treated with curative-intent radical cystectomy: A cohort study
Background: The standard of care treatment for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) is radical cystectomy, which is typically preceded by…
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PLOS Medicine Utility of ctDNA in predicting response to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy and prognosis assessment in locally advanced rectal cancer: A prospective cohort study
Background: For locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) patients who receive neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT), there are no reliable…
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PLOS Medicine Circulating tumor DNA dynamics and recurrence risk in patients undergoing curative intent resection of colorectal cancer liver metastases: A prospective cohort study
Background: In patients with resectable colorectal liver metastases (CRLM), the role of pre- and postoperative systemic therapy continues…