Recurrence in Real Time: Rethinking Breast Cancer Follow-Up Evaluation with Circulating Tumor DNA
Detecting cancer DNA fragments in blood before imaging scans show recurrence gives patients a six-month head start on catching returning disease.
In 227 stage I-III breast cancer patients on serial Signatera ctDNA testing, 4.41% had detectable ctDNA significantly associated with advanced stage and nodal involvement; ctDNA preceded imaging confirmation of metastasis by 6 months in one patient, demonstrating a lead-time advantage. This record was retained from the prior triage attempt for PubMed pipeline handoff.
What the study was
- Study design
- retrospective_cohort
- Category
- Early Detection
- Maturity
- Validated
- Journal
- Ann Surg Oncol
Why it surfaced
Real-world clinical validation of commercial Signatera ctDNA in breast cancer surveillance; demonstrates ctDNA lead-time over imaging in a clinical setting; Annals of Surgical Oncology publication; directly actionable for oncology surveillance protocol design and liquid biopsy clinical integration.
A plain-language summary of published research — not medical advice. Talk to a clinician about your own care.