Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40927309›Full record

ArticleJournal of immunotherapy and precision oncology2025

Circulating Tumor DNA as a Prognostic Biomarker for Selecting Participants to Early Phase Clinical Trials.

Sammy Shaya, Okezie Uche-Ikonne, Bedirhan Kilerci, Julie Stevenson, Alastair Greystoke, Natalie Cook, Fiona C Thistlethwaite, Louise Carter, Donna M Graham, Matthew G Krebs

Registry-linked trialAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of immunotherapy and precision oncology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04723316 (Tumour Characterisation to Guide Experimental Targeted Therapy - National), which is not on this map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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.

NCT04723316 recruitingnot on this map

Tumour Characterisation to Guide Experimental Targeted Therapy - National

TypeobservationalSponsorThe Christie NHS Foundation TrustRan2021 to 2028Enrolled6,000ConditionsCancer
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

10 authors.

Sammy ShayaThe Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre, Manchester, United Kingdom.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4330-0578
Okezie Uche-IkonneThe Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre, Manchester, United Kingdom.
Bedirhan KilerciCancer Research UK Manchester Institute, Manchester, United Kingdom.
Julie StevensonDigital Experimental Cancer Medicine Team, Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, Manchester, United Kingdom.
Alastair GreystokeSir Bobby Robson Cancer Trials Research Centre, Northern Centre for Cancer Care, Freeman Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom.
Natalie CookThe Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre, Manchester, United Kingdom.
Fiona C ThistlethwaiteThe Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre, Manchester, United Kingdom.
Louise CarterThe Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre, Manchester, United Kingdom.
Donna M GrahamThe Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre, Manchester, United Kingdom.
Matthew G KrebsThe Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre, Manchester, United Kingdom.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introduction: Patients with advanced solid tumors may be considered for early phase clinical trials investigating the safety, tolerability, and dosing of experimental therapies. Optimizing participant selection is critical to maximize clinical benefit and meet trial endpoints with fewer participants. One in six participants does not meet routine life expectancy requirements (>3 months), highlighting the need for improved prognostication. Variant allele frequency (VAF) in circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) correlates with overall survival (OS) in advanced solid tumors. We aimed to derive an optimal VAF threshold as a prognostic biomarker to enhance participant selection. Methods: ctDNA testing was performed as part of the TARGET (NIHR Clinical Research Network CPMS ID 39172) and TARGET National (NCT04723316) prospective cohort studies, in patients with advanced solid tumors referred for early phase clinical trials. Maximum (maxVAF) and mean VAF (meanVAF) were compared in their association with OS and ability to delineate favorable and poor outcomes at set threshold points using hazard ratios (HRs). Optimal thresholds of VAF were explored using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis to predict 3-month landmark OS. Univariable and multivariable analysis was performed to determine whether VAF was an independent prognostic marker. Results: Of 631 patients, 587 had evaluable ctDNA results. MeanVAF and maxVAF exhibited similar correlation with OS (r Conclusion: VAF is an independent prognostic marker in patients with advanced solid tumors, with 4% maxVAF deemed optimal for delineating favorable and poorer prognostic subgroups in this patient cohort. Further validation and integration into existing prognostic scores are warranted.

Indexed as

advanced solid tumorscirculating tumor DNAearly phase clinical trialsprognostic biomarkervariant allele frequency

Identifiers

PMID40927309
PMCPMC12416488

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Registered trials

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.