Circulating tumor DNA as a biomarker in metastatic colorectal cancer

Abstract

This thesis aimed to investigate the clinical applicability of liquid biopsy circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in the disease management of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). The results from this thesis have highlighted the advantages of ctDNA assessment as a promising liquid biopsy analyte and biomarker in patients with mCRC, but also provided a reality check for its clinical validity by emphasizing the importance of the right analytical approach per clinical application. Potential clinical applications of ctDNA could be divided into four groups; diagnosis, prediction, prognosis and response monitoring, of which the last three were investigated for patients with mCRC.