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Updated: Jun 24, 2026
06:53
Detection and Monitoring of Tumor Associated Circulating DNA in Patient Biofluids
Published on: June 8, 2019
Longitudinal Tumor Mutation Burden Dynamics in Advanced Prostate Cancer Using Circulating Tumor DNA Profiling
Nancy Wei1, Jamie J O'Byrne2, Miguel Muniz3
1Department of Urology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.
Clinical Genitourinary Cancer
|June 22, 2026
Summary
Tumor mutation burden (TMB) increases over time and with treatments like radiotherapy in advanced prostate cancer (aPC). This highlights TMB
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Genomics
- Prostate Cancer Research
Background:
- Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) testing is vital for advanced prostate cancer (aPC) but the longitudinal tumor mutation burden (TMB) is unclear.
- Current guidelines lack guidance on serial TMB testing.
- Previous studies suggest modest TMB increases, but systematic analysis of trends and treatment effects is needed.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate longitudinal TMB changes in aPC.
- To assess the impact of treatment exposures on TMB.
- To analyze TMB dynamics in a large real-world cohort.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 714 aPC patients with ctDNA genomic profiling and TMB data.
- Sequential TMB values mapped to treatment episodes.
- Linear mixed-effects models used to assess TMB associations with time, age, and therapies.
Main Results:
- TMB significantly increased across treatment episodes (P = .001).
- Higher TMB associated with increasing age and radiotherapy (RT) exposure.
- Combination therapies, including RT, showed marked TMB increases.
Conclusions:
- Tumor mutation burden (TMB) is dynamic in advanced prostate cancer (aPC), increasing over time and with specific treatments.
- TMB should be interpreted in context, not solely as a threshold for immunotherapy initiation.
