ArticleNPJ precision oncology2026
Comparative analysis of ctDNA monitoring strategies in advanced NSCLC with MET exon 14 skipping mutations treated with ensartinib.
Article in NPJ precision oncology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Cancer in a drop: Liquid biopsy highlights from the World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) 2025.The journal of liquid biopsy · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
16 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Mesenchymal-epithelial transition exon 14 skipping mutations (METex14) define a targetable molecular subset of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but optimal circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) biomarkers to guide MET tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy remain undefined. Within the EMBRACE trial of ensartinib, we conducted a prospective biomarker analysis with plasma collected at baseline (V0) and 4 weeks after treatment initiation (V1). ctDNA was profiled using a hybrid-capture next-generation sequencing panel covering 229 cancer-related genes, and mutations were classified into three monitoring paradigms: MET-specific alterations, canonical alterations (tier I/II), and pan-alterations (any variant in any gene on the panel). Baseline ctDNA positivity rates were 48.3%, 48.3%, and 75.9% for MET-specific, canonical, and pan-alterations, respectively, and declined across all categories at V1. Conversion to ctDNA negativity in any paradigm was associated with a tendency toward higher objective response rate (ORR) and longer progression-free survival (PFS). Moreover, clearance of MET-specific alterations conferred the greatest clinical benefit, with an ORR of 75.0% versus 16.7% and a median PFS of 9.3 months versus 2.2 months (p = 0.005). Among the three paradigms, MET-specific monitoring provided the most favorable diagnostic performance to identify long-term responders, with a specificity of 90% and a positive predictive value of 80%. These data demonstrate that early MET-specific ctDNA clearance is a robust on-treatment biomarker for ensartinib benefit in METex14 NSCLC, while broader ctDNA profiling remains valuable for uncovering emerging resistance mechanisms.
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Registered trials
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