Ultrasensitive ctDNA Assay Lowers the Detection Floor in Esophageal Cancer.

In curatively treated esophageal cancer patients, ultrasensitive MAESTRO ctDNA testing detected occult disease earlier, with 60% of ctDNA-positive samples below 100 ppm.

• Why it matters: Esophageal cancer releases low levels of circulating tumor DNA, so earlier MRD assays can miss minimal residual disease and underestimate recurrence risk.
• What they did: The study applied ultrasensitive MAESTRO assays to 331 plasma samples from 36 patients, quantifying ctDNA and tracking postoperative detection relative to recurrence.
• The result: Every recurrence was preceded by postoperative ctDNA detection, implying this approach can lower the detection floor and improve timing of MRD detection.

AI summary of the abstract · may contain errors · not medical advice · read the paper.