Trial reportJCO precision oncology2026
Tumor-Free Circulating Tumor DNA in Node-Negative Rectal Cancers Undergoing Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy, Excision, and Observation in the Phase II NEO Trial (CO.28).
Trial report in JCO precision oncology, 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
14 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeOrgan preservation is a priority in early-stage rectal cancer as total mesorectal excision (TME) can reduce quality of life. The Canadian Cancer Trials Group CO.28 trial demonstrated that neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by transanal excision was effective in patients with cT1-3, node-negative (N0) rectal cancer. Here, we explored circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) from the trial as a potential future decision aid to guide TME. MATERIALS AND
methodsFifty-three of 58 patients (91.4%) from CO.28 had at least one sample available for ctDNA analysis using the Guardant Reveal epigenomic assay from the following time points: prechemotherapy, postchemotherapy, pretransanal endoscopic surgery (TES), and on follow-up at months 12, 24, and 36.
resultsctDNA was detected in 45.8% of patients before neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Detection was similar by T-stage (
conclusionctDNA testing identified cancers with inadequate response to chemotherapy in patients for whom TME was recommended. A tissue-free assay may enable faster turnaround times compared with tumor-informed assays and provide a tool to support organ preservation. Further exploration of these assays in early-stage rectal cancers is warranted.
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.