Epigenetic liquid biopsies for minimal residual disease, what's around the corner?
作者信息
Johnston Andrew D, Ross Jason P, Ma Chenkai, Fung Kim Y C, Locke Warwick J
机构信息
Human Health, Health and Biosecurity, CSIRO, Westmead, NSW, Australia.
出版信息
Front Oncol. 2023 Apr 4;13:1103797. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1103797. eCollection 2023.
Liquid biopsy assays for minimal residual disease (MRD) are used to monitor and inform oncological treatment and predict the risk of relapse in cancer patients. To-date, most MRD assay development has focused on targeting somatic mutations. However, epigenetic changes are more frequent and universal than genetic alterations in cancer and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) retains much of these changes. Here, we review the epigenetic signals that can be used to detect MRD, including DNA methylation alterations and fragmentation patterns that differentiate ctDNA from noncancerous circulating cell-free DNA (ccfDNA). We then summarize the current state of MRD monitoring; highlight the advantages of epigenetics over genetics-based approaches; and discuss the emerging paradigm of assaying both genetic and epigenetic targets to monitor treatment response, detect disease recurrence, and inform adjuvant therapy.