Myriad Genetics presented clinical data at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting showcasing the performance of their Precise MRD test in patients with oligometastatic clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). The data, presented by Dr. Chad Tang of MD Anderson Cancer Center, highlighted Precise MRD’s ability to identify patients who could benefit from less aggressive treatment strategies like metastasis-directed radiotherapy without systemic therapy (MRWS). This is crucial because there are currently no reliable prognostic markers to guide treatment decisions for this patient population.
The ability to identify patients suitable for MRWS is a significant advancement for ccRCC treatment. Current frontline systemic therapies for ccRCC carry substantial side effects and high costs. MRWS offers a less intensive approach, but until now, oncologists have lacked the tools to accurately predict which patients would respond well to this localized treatment. Precise MRD offers the potential to personalize treatment plans, sparing some patients from unnecessary systemic therapy and its associated burdens.
The study demonstrated that patients who tested positive for ctDNA using Precise MRD prior to MRWS initiated systemic therapy within a median of 27 months. Conversely, MRD-negative patients remained on MDT for a median of 54 months. This suggests that Precise MRD’s ability to detect minimal residual disease can accurately stratify patients based on their likelihood of benefiting from less aggressive treatment. The test’s high sensitivity, particularly important given the low tumor fractions common in ccRCC, identified over half of the patients as MRD-positive at baseline. This is a notable improvement over first-generation MRD tests, which often fail to detect these low levels of circulating tumor DNA, leading to potential false negatives and potentially inappropriate treatment decisions.
This positive clinical data for Precise MRD marks a potential turning point in the management of oligometastatic ccRCC. The ability to personalize treatment based on MRD status could lead to improved patient outcomes and reduced healthcare costs. Further development and validation of Precise MRD in larger studies could solidify its role as a critical tool in the fight against this challenging cancer. This could pave the way for broader adoption of MRD-guided treatment strategies in ccRCC and potentially other cancer types.
Jon Napitupulu is Director of Media Relations at The Clinical Trial Vanguard. Jon, a computer data scientist, focuses on the latest clinical trial industry news and trends.
