ReviewThe journal of liquid biopsy2025
Circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) as a predictor of progression-free and overall survival in non-resectable pancreatic cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Review in The journal of liquid biopsy, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
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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
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Overcoming cancer resistance in pancreatic cancer: toward dynamic precision oncology.Molecular biology reports · 2026Review
- Clinical and Molecular Correlates of Circulating Tumor Fraction in Patients with Metastatic Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.Clinical cancer research : an official journal of the American Association for Cancer Research · 2026Article
- Optimization of first-line treatment selection in advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma using artificial intelligence.NPJ precision oncology · 2026Article
- Review
- Evidence Mapping of ctDNA Reporting in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma: Toward a Shared Quantitative Language for ctDNA.Cancers · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: This systematic review and meta-analysis synthesised current evidence on circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) for predicting clinical outcomes in patients with non-resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Methods: PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases were searched up to 31/01/2025. Eligible studies reported prognostic value of ctDNA in patients with non-resectable PDAC. Meta-analyses evaluated associations between baseline ctDNA and changes in ctDNA during treatment (ctDNA kinetics) and survival outcomes. Risk of bias was assessed using the Quality in Prognosis Studies (QUIPS) tool. Results: Sixty-four studies involving 5652 patients with non-resectable PDAC were included, with 24 studies contributing to meta-analyses. High baseline ctDNA level implied shorter overall survival (OS; HR = 2.3, 95 % CI 1.9-2.8; n = 1883) and progression-free survival (PFS; HR = 2.1, 95 % CI 1.8-2.4; n = 1196). Unfavourable ctDNA kinetics were associated with shorter OS (HR = 3.1, 95 % CI 2.3-4.3; n = 269) and PFS (HR = 4.3, 95 % CI 2.6-7.2; n = 244). Thirty-three studies had high risk of bias in at least one QUIPS domain. Conclusion: Baseline ctDNA and ctDNA kinetics demonstrate strong prognostic value in non-resectable PDAC. However, clinical translation is limited by methodological heterogeneity, notably the use of study-specific, non-validated thresholds. Standardised, externally validated thresholds for interpreting ctDNA changes are needed to support clinical implementation. Prospero: CRD42023438774.
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Registered trials
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