Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29986670›Full record

ArticleBMC cancer2018

Correlation between circulating tumour DNA and metabolic tumour burden in metastatic melanoma patients.

Ashleigh C McEvoy, Lydia Warburton, Zeyad Al-Ogaili, Liesl Celliers, Leslie Calapre, Michelle R Pereira, Muhammad A Khattak, Tarek M Meniawy, Michael Millward, Melanie Ziman and 1 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC cancer, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 62 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
62citing papers in PubMed
3.9field-weighted citation impact, top 5% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

62 citing papers in PubMed, 98 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Trial
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  7. Liquid Biopsies and Molecular Imaging for Precise Cancer Management.Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.) · 2026
    Review
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  20. Observational

2 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

Ashleigh C McEvoySchool of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, WA, 6027, Australia.
Lydia WarburtonDepartment of Medical Oncology, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Hospital Avenue, Nedlands, WA, 6009, Australia.
Zeyad Al-OgailiDepartment of Molecular Imaging and Therapy Service, Fiona Stanley Hospital, Murdoch, WA, 6150, Australia.
Liesl CelliersDepartment of Molecular Imaging and Therapy Service, Fiona Stanley Hospital, Murdoch, WA, 6150, Australia.
Leslie CalapreSchool of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, WA, 6027, Australia.
Michelle R PereiraSchool of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, WA, 6027, Australia.
Muhammad A KhattakSchool of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, WA, 6027, Australia.
Tarek M MeniawyDepartment of Medical Oncology, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Hospital Avenue, Nedlands, WA, 6009, Australia.
Michael MillwardDepartment of Medical Oncology, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Hospital Avenue, Nedlands, WA, 6009, Australia.
Melanie ZimanSchool of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, WA, 6027, Australia.
Elin S GraySchool of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, WA, 6027, Australia. e.gray@ecu.edu.au.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8613-3570
Edith Cowan University · AUFiona Stanley Hospital · AUThe University of Western Australia · AUSir Charles Gairdner Hospital · AU

Funding

Cancer Council Western Australia 1100249National Health and Medical Research Council 1119791
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundCirculating tumour DNA (ctDNA) may serve as a measure of tumour burden and a useful tool for non-invasive monitoring of cancer. However, ctDNA is not always detectable in patients at time of diagnosis of metastatic disease. Therefore, there is a need to understand the correlation between ctDNA levels and the patients' overall metabolic tumour burden (MTB).

methodsThirty-two treatment naïve metastatic melanoma patients were included in the study. MTB and metabolic tumour volume (MTV) was measured by 18F-fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG PET/CT). Plasma ctDNA was quantified using droplet digital PCR (ddPCR).

resultsCtDNA was detected in 23 of 32 patients. Overall, a significant correlation was observed between ctDNA levels and MTB (p < 0.001). CtDNA was not detectable in patients with an MTB of ≤10, defining this value as the lower limit of tumour burden that can be detected through ctDNA analysis by ddPCR.

conclusionsWe showed that ctDNA levels measured by ddPCR correlate with MTB in treatment naïve metastatic melanoma patients and observed a limit in tumour size for which ctDNA cannot be detected in blood. Nevertheless, our findings support the use of ctDNA as a non-invasive complementary modality to functional imaging for monitoring tumour burden.

Indexed as

Tumor BurdenAdultAgedAged, 80 and overCirculating Tumor DNAFemaleHumansMaleMelanomaMiddle AgedPositron Emission Tomography Computed TomographyProportional Hazards ModelsRetrospective StudiesCirculating Tumor DNACirculating tumour DNActDNADroplet digital PCRMelanomaMetabolic tumour burdenTumour lesion glycolysis

Identifiers

PMID29986670
PMCPMC6038195
OpenAlexW2813050034

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.