Clinical use of circulating tumor DNA analysis in patients with lymphoma

Abstract

The analysis of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in liquid biopsy specimens has an established role for the detection of predictive molecular alterations and acquired resistance mutations in several tumors. The low-invasiveness of this approach allows for repeated sampling and dynamic monitoring of disease evolution. Originating from the entire body tumor bulk, plasma-derived ctDNA reflects intra- and interlesional genetic heterogeneity. In the management of lymphoma patients, ctDNA quantification at various timepoints of the patient’s clinical history is emerging as a complementary tool that may improve risk stratification, assessment of treatment response and early relapse detection during follow-up, most prominently in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma or classic Hodgkin lymphoma. While liquid biopsies have not yet entered standard-of-care treatment protocols in these settings, several trials have provided evidence that at least a subset of lymphoma patients may benefit from the introduction of liquid biopsies into daily clinical care. In parallel, continuous technological developments have enabled highly sensitive ctDNA assessment methods, which span from locus-specific techniques identifying single hotspot mutations, to sequencing panels and genome-wide approaches that explore broader genetic and epigenetic alterations. Here, we provide an overview of current methods and ongoing technical developments for ctDNA evaluation. We also summarize the most important data from a selection of clinical studies that have explored the clinical use of ctDNA in several lymphoma entities.