Dr. Bach on the Results of a Systematic Review of ctDNA in CRC

Sander Bach, MD, PhD, ​a research associate in the Department of Surgery at Amsterdam Universitair Medische Centra, discusses ​the results of a systematic review of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in colorectal cancer (CRC).

In the review, the use of ctDNA and the hypermethylation analysis demonstrated significant evidence for early detection of CRC, says Bach. Septin 9 hypermethylation analysis appeared to be the most promising, demonstrating up to 90% sensitivity and high specificity.

Compared with methylation, ctDNA mutation analysis demonstrated lower detection rates, with ​sensitivities ofabout 50% or lower, explains Bach. ​

Although additional evidence is needed, ​copy number analysis seemed to be a successful detection method, says Bach. However, the majority of papers that used this method included patients who already underwent therapy, ​and thus had to be excluded from the review.