ArticleInternational journal of colorectal disease2026
Clinical utility of longitudinal ctDNA monitoring by multiplex MS-ddPCR for risk stratification and follow-up in rectal cancer.
Article in International journal of colorectal disease, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionPersonalized treatment strategies in rectal cancer aim to balance escalation and de-escalation based on recurrence risk. Accurately identifying which patients will benefit from each approach is essential for optimizing outcomes and guiding follow-up. However, current clinical methods lack the precision needed to reliably predict response and long-term prognosis.
methodsIn this feasibility study, we evaluated the prognostic utility of a novel methylation-specific droplet digital PCR (MS-ddPCR) multiplex assay in 56 patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) undergoing neoadjuvant treatment (nT) and surgery. Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) was analyzed at four time points (baseline, during nT, preoperatively, 6 months post-surgery). Associations between ctDNA status and dynamics with tumor regression grade (TRG), disease recurrence, and overall survival (OS) were assessed using receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analyses and survival statistics.
resultsctDNA was detected in 59% of the patients at baseline. Preoperative ctDNA had limited discriminative value for pathologic response, AUC 0.60 (95% CI 0.45-0.76). In contrast, ctDNA positivity 6 months postoperatively was strongly associated with recurrence within 2 years following surgery, AUC 0.96 (95% CI, 0.91-1.00). CtDNA positivity 6 months post-surgery was associated with inferior 2-year DFS (38% vs 94%, p for log-rank < 0.001) and 3-year OS (63% vs 100%, p for log-rank < 0.001).
conclusionWith this MS-ddPCR assay, preoperative ctDNA showed limited prognostic value, whereas ctDNA 6 months postoperatively was strongly associated with recurrence and overall survival. The absence of an immediate postoperative sample limited assessment of early molecular response-a time point critical for guiding treatment decisions and follow-up strategies-underscoring the need for earlier sampling in future studies to optimize ctDNA-guided management. Given the small cohort and exploratory design, these findings are hypothesis-generating and support further validation of the assay in larger, prospective trials.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.