The ESMO Annual Meeting 2024, held from September 13 to 17 in Barcelona, Spain, showcased the latest breakthroughs in oncology. Among them was a new study from the team led by Academician Jia Fan, Dr. Jian Zhou, and Dr. Xinrong Yang from Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, in collaboration with Burning Rock Biotech. The research, which was presented as a poster at the conference, provided preliminary evidence that the methylation and mutation of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) play a crucial role in assessing minimal residual disease (MRD) status and predicting recurrence after curative liver cancer surgery. This study offers new strategies and tools for postoperative management of early-stage liver cancer patients. With further refinement and large-scale clinical validation, this method could become an important adjunct in postoperative monitoring, potentially improving patient survival outcomes.

The study focused on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients and employed a novel cancer screening method called GutSeer, which integrates methylation and fragmentomic signals to detect various gastrointestinal cancers. The research team further developed the TORNADO technology, a personalized method to evaluate minimal residual disease (MRD) based on individual tumor characteristics.

So far, the study has recruited 73 HCC patients, of whom 19 experienced recurrence. The GutSeer test showed a significant decrease in positive rates in postoperative samples. The TORNADO model demonstrated that patients who were MRD-positive one month after surgery had a significantly higher risk of recurrence compared to those who were MRD-negative.

The study revealed that, compared to conventional tumor markers like AFP and DCP, the TORNADO method detected signs of recurrence earlier and performed better at various follow-up points. Additionally, combining TORNADO results with clinical indicators significantly improved the accuracy of prognosis prediction.

In summary, this preliminary study demonstrates that MRD detection based on ctDNA methylation and mutations offers superior predictive power for recurrence in early-stage HCC patients compared to traditional biomarkers.

Original reference: Yang Xinrong, et al. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) Utilizing Personalized Tumor-Specific Methylation Haplotypes of Circulating Tumor DNA for Monitoring Minimal Residual Disease in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients After Curative Resection. ESMO 2024 Abstract 958P