The Role and Impact of Minimal Residual Disease in NSCLC

There has been a huge development in the assessment of malignancies through liquid biopsies last years, especially for NSCLC, where its use has become part of clinical practice in some settings. We aim to summarize current evidence about minimal residual disease and its use in lung cancer.

Recent studies using ctDNA in NSCLC but also in other types of cancer found strong correlations between the presence of ctDNA and the risk of disease progression or death after curative intent, despite current technical difficulties in performing this analysis (high sensitivity and specificity required). Evaluation of MRD in NSCLC, especially through ctDNA, could be an important point in future trial designs and could permit a more "targeted" adjuvant treatment.