Detecting Early Recurrence With Circulating Tumor DNA in Stage I-III Biliary Tract Cancer After Curative Resection
In 56 people after surgery for bile duct or gallbladder cancer, finding tumour DNA in the blood in the weeks after the operation meant the cancer came back within about seven months on average, while those without it had not relapsed by the end of follow-up.
Overview
Retrospective multicentre cohort of 56 patients with curatively resected stage I to III biliary tract cancer followed with serial tumour-informed ctDNA testing, median follow-up 12.8 months. ctDNA detection in the molecular residual disease window was associated with a median relapse-free survival of 6.6 months against not reached (hazard ratio 26, 95 percent CI 2.6 to 265); detection during surveillance carried a hazard ratio of 20 (2.6 to 153). Conventional markers were not prognostic (p=0.844). The study also assessed ctDNA sensitivity for confirmed recurrence and the lead time from first detection to confirmed recurrence.
- Residual disease window ctDNA positivity: median relapse-free survival 6.6 months vs not reached; hazard ratio 26 (95 percent CI 2.6 to 265).
- Surveillance ctDNA positivity: hazard ratio 20 (2.6 to 153); conventional markers not prognostic (p=0.844).
Very wide confidence intervals from a small cohort, but the direction matches the larger 2026 analysis. Gallbladder cancer recurs early and distantly after re-resection, which is exactly the setting where a residual disease test could pick who gets more than capecitabine.
- 56 patients, short follow-up, retrospective.
- Hazard ratios have very wide confidence intervals.
Similar pages
not linked directly; found by shared links- Key paperReal-world analysis of ctDNA and other biomarkers in patients with curatively resected stage I-III biliary tract cancer
Shares Natera, A ctDNA residual disease-guided adjuvant trial after gallbladder cancer resection, Signatera, Dormant cells and minimal residual disease and the tag gallbladder-evidence.
- Key paperLiposomal irinotecan plus fluorouracil and leucovorin versus fluorouracil and leucovorin for metastatic biliary tract cancer after progression on gemcitabine plus cisplatin (NIFTY): a multicentre, open-label, randomised, phase 2b study
Shares Gallbladder cancer roadmap: from a chance finding at gallstone surgery to a disease with its own trials, Biliary tract cancer (all types), Biliary tract cancer (cholangiocarcinoma), Gallbladder cancer and the tag gallbladder-evidence.
- Key paperSecond-line FOLFOX chemotherapy versus active symptom control for advanced biliary tract cancer (ABC-06): a phase 3, open-label, randomised, controlled trial
Shares Gallbladder cancer roadmap: from a chance finding at gallstone surgery to a disease with its own trials, Biliary tract cancer (all types), Biliary tract cancer (cholangiocarcinoma), Gallbladder cancer and the tag gallbladder-evidence.
- Key paperBiliary tract cancer: ESMO Clinical Practice Guideline for diagnosis, treatment and follow-up
Shares Gallbladder cancer roadmap: from a chance finding at gallstone surgery to a disease with its own trials, Biliary tract cancer (all types), Biliary tract cancer (cholangiocarcinoma), Gallbladder cancer and the tag gallbladder-evidence.
- Key paperDurvalumab plus chemotherapy in advanced biliary tract cancer: 3-year overall survival update from the phase III TOPAZ-1 study
Shares Gallbladder cancer roadmap: from a chance finding at gallstone surgery to a disease with its own trials, Biliary tract cancer (all types), Biliary tract cancer (cholangiocarcinoma), Gallbladder cancer and the tag gallbladder-evidence.
- Key paperCarcinoma of the gallbladder: staging, treatment, and prognosis
Shares Gallbladder cancer roadmap: from a chance finding at gallstone surgery to a disease with its own trials, Gallbladder cancer and the tag gallbladder-evidence.
- Key paperSystematic review of management of incidental gallbladder cancer after cholecystectomy
Shares Gallbladder cancer roadmap: from a chance finding at gallstone surgery to a disease with its own trials, Gallbladder cancer and the tag gallbladder-evidence.
- Key paperGallbladder cancer: lessons from a rare tumour
Shares Gallbladder cancer roadmap: from a chance finding at gallstone surgery to a disease with its own trials, Gallbladder cancer and the tag gallbladder-evidence.