Interference of Clonal Hematopoiesis in cfDNA Liquid Biopsy Testing and Identification of Actionable Alterations in Prostate Cancer
Blood clots from aging blood cells mimic cancer mutations in blood tests, making paired white blood cell testing essential.
This study demonstrates that clonal hematopoiesis is a major source of false-positive variant calls in cfDNA liquid biopsies from prostate cancer patients, with CH variants mimicking somatic tumor mutations. Findings establish the importance of paired white blood cell sequencing or CH-aware bioinformatics filters to improve liquid biopsy specificity for actionable oncology alterations.
What the study was
- Study design
- Retrospective cohort study
- Population
- Prostate cancer patients undergoing cfDNA liquid biopsy testing for somatic alterations
- Category
- Diagnostics
- Maturity
- Validated
- Journal
- The oncologist
Why it surfaced
Clinically important finding on CH interference in prostate cancer cfDNA; directly actionable for improving liquid biopsy specificity and avoiding misguided precision therapy.
A plain-language summary of published research — not medical advice. Talk to a clinician about your own care.