MRD is the lowest tumor burden that cannot be detected by standard imaging and clinical examination. The presence of MRD after surgery or completion of chemotherapy is the strongest predictor of relapse risk.
Where Liquid Biopsy Fits in MRD Detection
- CTC-based MRD: assessment of post-surgical residual disease by the presence/absence of CTCs in blood
- ctDNA-based MRD: post-treatment monitoring with ultra-sensitive NGS targeting tumor-specific mutations
- Longitudinal monitoring: early relapse detection through periodic blood draws after treatment
Clinical Applications (Research)
- Colorectal cancer: post-surgical ctDNA positivity strongly correlates with relapse risk
- Breast cancer: CTC counts after neoadjuvant therapy correlate with pathological complete response
- Lung cancer: early relapse detection through post-surgical MRD monitoring
Research Scope
Our MRD assessment services are for research use only. No clinical decision-support patient monitoring is performed; they are used for endpoint analysis or biomarker discovery in clinical studies.
For your MRD-based liquid biopsy project, get in touch with us.
Rx-only — prescription screening test. Galleri® is not a diagnostic test. A positive result does not mean a cancer diagnosis; a negative result does not rule out cancer. The test does not replace the routine cancer screenings recommended by your physician. Galleri® does not detect all cancers.