Charles Jiang and Paolo Tarantino: Requirements for Validating ctDNA and MRD Biomarker Strategies in Breast Cancer
Charles Jiang and Paolo Tarantino/X

Charles Jiang and Paolo Tarantino: Requirements for Validating ctDNA and MRD Biomarker Strategies in Breast Cancer

Charles Jiang, Assistant Professor medical oncologist at UT Southwestern Medical Center, shared an update from Paolo Tarantino, Visiting Professor at McGill University Health Centre, on X, adding:

“Great point! IMHO, to prove a biomarker strategy (CTC/ctDNA/MRD) improves outcomes, you need:

  • High sensitivity: Identify high-risk patients.
  • Fast, Reliable process or users will give up.
  • More critically, highly effective therapy: Benefit or cure from early intervention.”

Quoting Paolo Tarantino:

“We know that CTCs are prognostic. Yet, randomized data (SWOG S0500) found no difference in outcomes when using CTCs to switch treatment early in MBC. We know that ctDNA/MRD is prognostic. We now need to prove that its higher sensitivity also makes it more predictive than CTCs.”

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Charles Jiang and Paolo Tarantino: Requirements for Validating ctDNA and MRD Biomarker Strategies in Breast Cancer