Dr. Armaghany on the Utility of ctDNA in CRC

Tannaz Armaghany, MD, gastrointestinal medical oncologist and an assistant professor in Internal Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology, at Baylor College of Medicine, discusses the utility of circulating tumor (ct)DNA in colorectal cancer (CRC).

ctDNA has previously been used in the field of CRC and has shown promise, says Armaghany. For example, there was a publication where ctDNA was examined prior to and following the administration of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery patients with CRC. Although that was a small trial, it showed a signal indicating that patients whose ctDNA persists may be high risk for developing metastatic disease to begin with. This may also help with follow-up in the clinic and identifying when tumors will show up as metastatic disease, concludes Armaghany.