Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34868984›Full record

ReviewFrontiers in oncology2021

Circulating Tumor DNA and Minimal Residual Disease (MRD) in Solid Tumors: Current Horizons and Future Perspectives.

Yan Peng, Wuxuan Mei, Kaidong Ma, Changchun Zeng

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

Review in Frontiers in oncology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 110 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
110citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
9.2field-weighted citation impact, top 1% 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

110 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 147 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  5. Trial
  6. Liquid biopsy in bladder cancer: towards precision oncology.Journal of translational medicine · 2026
    Review
  7. Circulating tumor DNA-based detection of molecular residual disease in isocitrate dehydrogenase-mutant cholangiocarcinoma for biomarker-guided therapy.Clinical & translational oncology : official publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico · 2026
    Review
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  14. Practical integration of ctDNA-defined minimal residual disease in gastrointestinal cancers: testing windows and evidence-aligned management frameworks.Clinical & translational oncology : official publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico · 2026
    Review
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50 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

4 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Yan PengDepartment of Obstetrics, Longhua District Central Hospital, Shenzhen, China.
Wuxuan MeiClinical Medical College, Hubei University of Science and Technology, Xianning, China.
Kaidong MaDepartment of Obstetrics, Longhua District Central Hospital, Shenzhen, China.
Changchun ZengDepartment of Medical Laboratory, Shenzhen Longhua District Central Hospital, Guangdong Medical University, Shenzhen, China.
Longgang Central Hospital · CNGuangdong Medical College · CNHubei University of Science and Technology · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is cell-free DNA (cfDNA) fragment in the bloodstream that originates from malignant tumors or circulating tumor cells. Recently, ctDNA has emerged as a promising non-invasive biomarker in clinical oncology. Analysis of ctDNA opens up new avenues for individualized cancer diagnosis and therapy in various types of tumors. Evidence suggests that minimum residual disease (MRD) is closely associated with disease recurrence, thus identifying specific genetic and molecular alterations as novel MRD detection targets using ctDNA has been a research focus. MRD is considered a promising prognostic marker to identify individuals at increased risk of recurrence and who may benefit from treatment. This review summarizes the current knowledge of ctDNA and MRD in solid tumors, focusing on the potential clinical applications and challenges. We describe the current state of ctDNA detection methods and the milestones of ctDNA development and discuss how ctDNA analysis may be an alternative for tissue biopsy. Additionally, we evaluate the clinical utility of ctDNA analysis in solid tumors, such as recurrence risk assessment, monitoring response, and resistance mechanism analysis. MRD detection aids in assessing treatment response, patient prognosis, and risk of recurrence. Moreover, this review highlights current advancements in utilizing ctDNA to monitor the MRD of solid tumors such as lung cancer, breast cancer, and colon cancer. Overall, the clinical application of ctDNA-based MRD detection can assist clinical decision-making and improve patient outcomes in malignant tumors.

Indexed as

biomarkercancercirculating tumor DNAliquid biopsyminimum residual disease (MRD)

Identifiers

PMID34868984
PMCPMC8637327
OpenAlexW3217709761

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.