ArticleCancer medicine2025
Performance Comparison of Droplet Digital PCR and Next-Generation Sequencing for Circulating Tumor DNA Detection in Non-Metastatic Rectal Cancer.
Article in Cancer medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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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.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Prognostic Value of Circulating Tumor DNA-Based Minimal Residual Disease for Recurrence-Free Survival in Resectable Gastric Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis with Serial Monitoring Analysis.Digestive diseases and sciences · 2026Pooled it
- Tumor-Informed ddPCR for Personalized Longitudinal ctDNA Monitoring in Advanced Solid Tumors: Molecular-Radiological Concordance and Molecular Lead Time.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Assessing the utility of ctDNA as a prognostic marker in advanced ER-positive/HER2-negative breast cancer.Translational cancer research · 2026Article
- Liquid Biopsy in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Molecular Perspective on Circulating Biomarkers and Their Clinical Translation.Current issues in molecular biology · 2026Review
- Review
- Multistep ctDNA Monitoring of Minimal Residual Disease in Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastases: From Tissue NGS to Highly Sensitive Digital PCR Platforms.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Circulating Tumor DNA in Melanoma: Advances in Detection, Clinical Applications, and Integration with Emerging Technologies.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Circulating tumor DNA in neoadjuvant therapy for solid tumors.Frontiers in oncology · 2026Review
- Review
- Cancer and Aging Biomarkers: Classification, Early Detection Technologies and Emerging Research Trends.Biosensors · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
19 authors.
Funding
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND
objectivesCirculating tumor DNA (ctDNA) can potentially identify rectal cancer patients benefiting from neoadjuvant and adjuvant therapy. This study compared droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) and next-generation sequencing (NGS) for ctDNA detection in localized rectal cancer before and after surgery.
methodsPre-therapy plasma and rectal tumor samples were collected from a development group (n = 41) and a validation group (n = 26). Mutations in tumor samples were identified using NGS, and ctDNA detection was performed with both ddPCR and NGS. Recurrence was assessed 1 year after surgery in the development group.
resultsIn the development group, ddPCR detected ctDNA in 24/41 (58.5%) and NGS panel in 15/41 (36.6%; p = 0.00075) of the baseline plasma. In the validation group, 21/26 (80.8%) patients had detectable ctDNA in the pre-therapy plasma. A positive ctDNA result was associated with higher clinical tumor stage and with lymph node positivity as detected by MRI. Postoperative ddPCR did not detect ctDNA before most recurrences.
conclusionsWe demonstrated a practical oligomarker ctDNA test for localized rectal cancer suitable for clinical workflow, and that ddPCR detects ctNA from pre-therapy plasma at a satisfactory level in advanced rectal cancers. Detecting ctDNA with ddPCR may help to assess the local severity, but the clinical utility of this approach should be evaluated in clinical trials.
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