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‹ Thu · 30 Jul 2026
Early cancer detection or prevention

Dynamic Circulating Tumor DNA Methylation Monitoring Guiding Postoperative Surveillance in Nonmetastatic Colorectal Cancer: A Prospective, Randomized, Phase III FIND Trial.

Blood tests that detect cancer DNA after surgery help doctors catch returning colorectal cancer earlier and treat it more effectively before it spreads.

A 584-patient prospective Phase III RCT compared ctDNA methylation-guided postoperative surveillance against standard CT monitoring in nonmetastatic colorectal cancer after curative resection. ctDNA guidance doubled the rate of curative-intent therapy for recurrences and significantly improved resectability of liver/lung metastases, though long-term survival benefit awaits mature follow-up.

What the study was

Study design
Prospective multicenter randomized phase III RCT
Population
Nonmetastatic colorectal cancer patients post-curative resection
Sample size
584
Category
Early Detection
Maturity
Potentially Practice-Changing
Journal
Journal of Clinical Oncology

Why it surfaced

Phase III prospective RCT demonstrating ctDNA methylation-guided surveillance doubles curative-intent resection of CRC recurrences; published in J Clin Oncol, directly practice-relevant to post-surgical oncology monitoring.

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