2023 World Conference on Lung Cancer (Posters)-EP11.04. Increasing Liquid Biopsy Sensitivity to the Next Level: Usability of Minimal Residual Disease Detection of Genomic Fusions by ddPCR

EP11.04. Increasing Liquid Biopsy Sensitivity to the Next Level: Usability of Minimal Residual Disease Detection of Genomic Fusions by ddPCR - PDF(Slides)

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The document discusses the use of liquid biopsy, specifically using the digital droplet PCR (ddPCR) assay, to increase sensitivity in detecting minimal residual disease (MRD) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. The goal is to establish a disease monitoring method using liquid biopsy to diagnose genetic alterations in cell-free tumor DNA (ctDNA) from patient blood samples. MRD refers to residual tumor cells that cannot be detected by standard radiological tests or clinical evaluations but can be indicated by tumor-specific genetic alterations found through molecular diagnostics.<br /><br />The document describes the possible applications of liquid biopsy at different stages, including diagnosis and monitoring of MRD. A clinical study with 40 NSCLC patients is presented, with cohort 1 receiving targeted immunotherapy and cohort 2 receiving targeted immunotherapy in combination with radiation therapy. The study evaluates clinically relevant patient characteristics, TNM and UICC stage, as well as clinical outcomes such as progression-free survival (PFS), overall response rate (ORR), and overall survival (OS).<br /><br />The methods section discusses the establishment of a patient-specific ddPCR assay to monitor unique somatic breakpoints in NSCLC patients. Primers are designed based on Hybrid Capture NGS data from routine diagnostics to amplify the breakpoint region. These primers are then used in a ddPCR assay at different timepoints to monitor the presence of residual tumor cells throughout therapy.<br /><br />The conclusion emphasizes the increasing use of liquid biopsies and the need to address issues such as low sensitivity, poor standardization or reproducibility, and lack of randomized trials demonstrating clinical benefits. By establishing a minimally invasive and low-cost diagnostic procedure to detect and monitor MRD, it is possible to provide a more comprehensive view of the risk of relapse in patients and improve cancer survival by adapting treatment approaches earlier.

Asset Subtitle

Frank Griesinger

Meta Tag

Speaker Frank Griesinger

Topic Metastatic NSCLC: Immunotherapy - TIPs

Keywords

liquid biopsy

ddPCR assay

minimal residual disease

NSCLC

ctDNA

genetic alterations

disease monitoring

TNM stage

progression-free survival

therapy monitoring