Circulating tumor DNA provides a sneak peek into treatment responses in non–small cell lung cancer

Abstract

Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) holds great promise as a noninvasive diagnostic tool to guide treatment for patients with lung cancer. Two studies by Phallen and colleagues and Anagnostou and colleagues correlated sensitive measures of ctDNA with clinical responses to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) and immune checkpoint inhibitors, respectively, in patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Together, these studies further highlight the potential clinical utility of serial ctDNA monitoring in patients with NSCLC undergoing treatment with both targeted therapies and immunotherapies.