Minimal Residual Disease (MRD) in cancer (Part I)
Introduction
In the field of cancer treatment, early and accurate diagnosis is only part of the challenge. Ensuring that a patient remains cancer-free after initial treatment is equally critical, as cancer has a habit of returning if any malignant cells remain. This is where minimal or measurable residual disease (MRD), becomes crucial. MRD refers to the number of cancer cells that remain in the body after treatment and that can evade traditional detection methods. For patients and doctors alike, MRD testing marks a promising development in personalized cancer care – offering a way to monitor, predict, and prevent potential relapses with unprecedented precision.
What is Minimal Residual Disease?
Minimal Residual Disease (MRD) traditionally refers to the small population of cancer cells that survive initial treatments like chemotherapy, radiation, or surgery. These cells are often so few in number that they elude detection in standard diagnostic scans and tests. However, these cells can still trigger a relapse if left unchecked, especially in cancers like leukemia and lymphoma, where even a handful of cells can be enough to reignite the disease.
MRD has become a critical metric in modern cancer treatment because it indicates whether the patient is truly in remission. In many cases, MRD levels can predict relapse before any clinical signs emerge, allowing doctors to act sooner to prevent recurrence.
Why is Detecting MRD So Important?
Detecting MRD can significantly improve patient outcomes by
- Guiding Treatment: Knowing whether MRD is present helps doctors adjust treatment plans. Patients with detectable MRD might benefit from more aggressive or targeted therapies to eliminate the remaining cancer cells.
- Predicting Relapse: Studies show that patients with MRD are at a much higher risk of relapse than those without. Detecting MRD can serve as an early warning system, allowing doctors to intervene before the cancer fully returns.
- Personalizing Patient Care: MRD is at the forefront of precision medicine, where treatment is tailored to each patient’s unique situation. By closely monitoring MRD, doctors can determine if a patient needs more treatment or, conversely, if they can avoid unnecessary therapies.
Liqomics & Our Services
Liqomics offers LymphoVista, a ctDNA-based MRD test for lymphomas with extremely high sensitivity and specificity and MRD monitoring solutions for other cancers. Learn more about our services here, and get in touch to see what we can offer.
Visit our website in the coming days for Part II, where we will explore MRD measurement and interpretation, the role of ctDNA in MRD detection, and how Liqomics supports personalized cancer care.
Author: Lisa Baum, Bioinformatician and Data Scientist, Liqomics
