Cancer cells travelling in the blood can be counted. If a drug clears them, that is an early sign it may stop spread, and it reads out in weeks rather than years.
CTC count is an established prognostic marker in metastatic breast, prostate and colorectal cancer, and CTC conversion from unfavourable to favourable has been used as a response measure in prostate cancer. Anti-metastatic mechanisms such as platelet cloaking, trap-mediated capture and cluster formation should show up as CTC and CTC-cluster clearance long before imaging changes. A standardised cluster readout would give small, cheap, fast phase 2 decisions.
Shares Klaus Pantel, Minimal / molecular residual disease (MRD), Circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA), Biomarkers are not validated or standardised.
Shares Are 90% of deaths from cancer caused by metastases?, Metastasis is understood least and studied last, Minimal / molecular residual disease (MRD), MRD / molecular residual disease testing.
Shares Are 90% of deaths from cancer caused by metastases?, Metastasis is understood least and studied last, Circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA), Biomarkers are not validated or standardised.
Shares Are 90% of deaths from cancer caused by metastases?, Metastasis is understood least and studied last, Biomarkers are not validated or standardised, Liquid biopsy (ctDNA).
Shares Caroline Dive, Are 90% of deaths from cancer caused by metastases?, Metastasis is understood least and studied last, Liquid biopsy (ctDNA).
Shares Are 90% of deaths from cancer caused by metastases?, Metastasis is understood least and studied last, Circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA), MRD / molecular residual disease testing.
Shares Are 90% of deaths from cancer caused by metastases?, Metastasis is understood least and studied last, Minimal / molecular residual disease (MRD), MRD / molecular residual disease testing.
Shares Are 90% of deaths from cancer caused by metastases?, Metastasis is understood least and studied last, MRD / molecular residual disease testing, HR-positive / HER2-negative breast cancer.