Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 2, 2025
05:44
Isolation of Proximal Fluids to Investigate the Tumor Microenvironment of Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma
Published on: November 5, 2020
4.5K
Multianalyte Prognostic Signature Including Circulating Tumor DNA and Circulating Tumor Cells in Patients With
William J Chapin1, Jacob E Till1, Wei-Ting Hwang2
1Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.
JCO Precision Oncology
|August 8, 2022
Summary
Liquid biopsy markers, including circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and circulating tumor KRAS (ctKRAS) variant allele fraction (VAF), improve prognostication for advanced pancreatic cancer (PDAC). These markers, combined with clinical data, offer better survival prediction than clinical data alone.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Molecular Diagnostics
- Cancer Biomarkers
Background:
- Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) has a poor prognosis.
- Multianalyte signatures show promise for prognostication in other cancers.
- Rigorous assessment in PDAC is lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess multianalyte liquid biopsy signatures for prognostication in PDAC.
- To compare prognostic models with and without liquid biopsy variables.
Main Methods:
- Prospective cohort study of 104 patients with LAPC or mPDAC.
- Analysis of circulating tumor cells (CTCs), cell-free DNA (cfDNA), and circulating tumor KRAS (ctKRAS) VAF.
- Univariate and multivariate survival analysis for overall survival (OS).
Main Results:
- CTCs and ctKRAS VAF were significantly higher in mPDAC vs LAPC.
- ctKRAS VAF and CTCs ≥ 1/mL associated with worse OS.
- Liquid biopsy model showed improved OS discrimination (C-statistic 0.725 vs 0.681).
Conclusions:
- A multianalyte signature including CTCs, ctKRAS, and cfDNA improved prognostication.
- Liquid biopsy markers provide complementary prognostic information.
- This approach enhances traditional clinical variables for advanced PDAC.
