ctDNA Testing in Pancreatic Cancer
At this point, it’s very early to know the possible clinical outcome data that we can get from ctDNA [circulating tumor DNA] in pancreatic cancer. What ctDNA in pancreatic cancer would help us understand is if there’s any chance of a patient’s recurrence from their pancreatic cancer after surgery or after adjuvant therapy.
Ultimately, ctDNA is a very early marker in pancreatic cancer. We use it to help us provide actionable mutation data, both in a tumor-naive approach as well as a tumor-informed approach. However, it’s a needle in a haystack approach. There are very limited targetable mutations in pancreas cancer. But when we come across those needle in a haystack mutations, they make a difference for our patients. Immunotherapy may be beneficial in things like IDH1 mutations, BRAF-driven pancreas cancer, or possibly even KRAS wild-type pancreatic cancer. When we do circulating tumor DNA analysis, that means a lot for those patients in whom it comes back positive. Read more . . .