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Because CSCC tumors shed high levels of DNA, cell-free DNA (cfDNA) serves as an effective real-time biomarker. A rapid drop in cfDNA levels can confirm a deep response, providing quantitative evidence to confidently stop immunotherapy early, aligning with the "less is more" strategy.
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Not all ctDNA clearance is equal. Data from KEYNOTE-361 shows chemotherapy clears ctDNA more frequently (40%) but with poor correlation to outcomes. In contrast, immunotherapy clears ctDNA less often (11%), but those patients who do clear it experience brilliant, more durable outcomes, suggesting a different biological mechanism of response.
In patients achieving a complete response on EV-pembrolizumab, leading oncologists are using circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) clearance in clinical practice to increase confidence and facilitate shared decision-making around stopping treatment, despite it not being standard of care.
In metastatic colorectal cancer, clinicians are using ctDNA MRD testing to help guide the decision to stop immunotherapy. For patients who have been on treatment for 1.5-2 years with a complete or durable radiographic response, a negative ctDNA result provides an additional layer of confidence to discontinue therapy.
The INVIGOR-11 trial data should be applied carefully. A positive ctDNA result post-surgery indicates when to *initiate* adjuvant immunotherapy. However, if a patient on neoadjuvant therapy becomes ctDNA-negative, this signals treatment efficacy and is a reason to *continue* the planned course, not a justification for stopping it early.
The type of treatment inducing ctDNA clearance matters. Clearance from immunotherapy appears to be more permanent and strongly prognostic than clearance from chemotherapy, which can be transient. This suggests immunotherapy may achieve a more profound and lasting elimination of cancer cells versus cytotoxic agents.
While not yet validated, ctDNA is being used by clinical experts as a de-escalation tool to provide confidence when stopping long-term maintenance therapies like PARP inhibitors. This novel application focuses on reducing treatment burden rather than solely detecting disease progression.
Experts predict that emerging cell-free DNA (ctDNA) tests for lymphoma will shift treatment from fixed durations to a response-adapted approach. Monitoring minimal residual disease via ctDNA will allow clinicians to tailor the length of therapy based on the quality of response.
In the Serena 6 trial, patients whose circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) was cleared after switching to camazestrant had a significantly improved overall survival (HR 0.4). This exploratory finding suggests ctDNA monitoring can be a potent early indicator of long-term treatment success, potentially reshaping how therapeutic efficacy is measured long before imaging can.
Despite significant interest, circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is not yet an actionable tool for guiding the duration of maintenance immunotherapy in endometrial cancer. While studies like DuoE show ctDNA levels correlate with outcomes, there is no evidence to support using its clearance to decide when to stop treatment. It remains a prognostic, not a predictive, biomarker for this purpose.
After immunotherapy, many colorectal cancer patients have residual nodules on scans that appear to be partial responses. However, ctDNA testing can confirm these are often just scar tissue, not active disease. This provides the confidence to stop therapy at the two-year mark and avoid unnecessary surgeries for what are effectively complete responses.
