Prognostic and Predictive Role of Circulating Tumor DNA in Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer Managed With Total Neoadjuvant Therapy: A Systematic Review
Faizan Bashir, Qurat‐ul‐Aine Bhat, Jayden Allegakoen, Dorsa Shekouh, Sajida Zaiter · 2026
Read Prognostic and Predictive Role of Circulating Tumor DNA in Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer Managed With Total Neoadjuvant Therapy: A Systematic Review by Faizan Bashir, Qurat‐ul‐Aine Bhat, Jayden Allegakoen, Dorsa Shekouh, Sajida Zaiter (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/PMC13412540.txt.
Description
Faizan Bashir and co-authors review in 2026 whether tumour DNA floating in the blood can guide organ-saving treatment for rectal cancer. Total neoadjuvant therapy, giving all chemotherapy and radiation before surgery, now lets some patients keep the rectum, provided response can be judged reliably. The systematic search across four databases found seven studies measuring circulating tumour DNA during or after this therapy in locally advanced disease.
Nearly all patients tested positive at baseline, which carried little meaning on its own. Clearance mattered more: DNA that vanished by the end of therapy matched complete responses, while lingering DNA forecast leftover disease and worse survival. Sensitivity stayed low, so the authors warn against choosing watch-and-wait care on this test alone.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Faizan Bashir, Qurat‐ul‐Aine Bhat, Jayden Allegakoen, Dorsa Shekouh, Sajida Zaiter |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 43 KB |
| LICENSE | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |