Circulating tumor DNA in gastrointestinal cancers: promise, pitfalls, and the path forward.
Circulating tumor DNA shows promise for prognosis in gastrointestinal cancers, but treatment decisions require additional evidence.
This EClinicalMedicine review systematically evaluates the clinical evidence base for circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in gastrointestinal oncology, synthesizing results from landmark trials including DYNAMIC, DYNAMIC-III, CIRCULATE, and COBRA. While ctDNA demonstrates robust prognostic value across colorectal, gastro-esophageal, pancreatic, and biliary tract cancers, the review concludes that treatment-selection utility remains unproven and that prospective trials must demonstrate patient-important outcome improvement before ctDNA becomes a stand-alone treatment mandate.
What the study was
- Study design
- narrative review synthesizing phase 3 RCT evidence (DYNAMIC, DYNAMIC-III, CIRCULATE, COBRA)
- Category
- Early Detection
- Maturity
- Validated
- Journal
- EClinicalMedicine
Why it surfaced
Critical synthesis of the clinical evidence for ctDNA in GI cancers from a high-impact journal, directly bridging T3 (early cancer detection/liquid biopsy) and T5 (precision oncology) watchlists; guides clinical implementation strategy.
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