Monitoring and adapting cancer treatment using circulating tumor DNA kinetics: Current research, opportunities, and challenges

Abstract

Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) has emerged as a biomarker with wide-ranging applications in cancer management. While its role in guiding precision medicine in certain tumors via noninvasive detection of susceptibility and resistance alterations is now well established, recent evidence has pointed to more generalizable use in treatment monitoring. Quantitative changes in ctDNA levels over time (i.e., ctDNA kinetics) have shown potential as an early indicator of therapeutic efficacy and could enable treatment adaptation. However, ctDNA kinetics are complex and heterogeneous, affected by tumor biology, host physiology, and treatment factors. This review outlines the current preclinical and clinical knowledge of ctDNA kinetics in cancer and how early on-treatment changes in ctDNA levels could be applied in clinical research to collect evidence to support implementation in daily practice.