CASE REPORT article
Front. Oncol.
Sec. Head and Neck Cancer
This article is part of the Research TopicAdvancements in Personalized Medicine for Head and Neck Cancer: Molecular-based Approaches to Treatment and CareView all 16 articles
Elevated ctDNA Levels Reveal Occult Liver Metastases in Head and Neck Cancer: A Case Report
Provisionally accepted
- 1Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Nanjing, China
- 2Drum Tower Clinical College，Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Nanjing, China
- 3Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Jiangyin People's Hospital, Jiangyin, China
- 4Nanjing Geneseeq Technology Inc Geneseeq Research Institute, Nanjing, China
- 5Affiliated Hospital of Medical School,Nanjing Medical University, Jiangsu province hospital, Nanjing, China
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Head and neck cancer, a diverse group of malignancies including tumors of the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, nasal cavity, and salivary glands, represents a significant global health burden, ranking as the seventh most common cancer worldwide. Despite advances in treatment, the prognosis varies markedly with disease stage. The classical diagnostic modalities such as histopathology and radiology have limitations in detecting occult disease, often leading to understaging and misclassification. We report a case involving a 37-year-old male with nasal and paranasal sinus carcinoma who exhibited elevated ctDNA levels post-surgery, indicating potential occult disease. Initial imaging, including ultrasound, did not reveal liver metastases; however, subsequent MRI and biopsy confirmed the presence of liver metastases. This case underscores the value of ctDNA in providing a more sensitive and dynamic assessment of disease progression and recurrence, offering a potential advancement in the diagnostic and prognostic evaluation of head and neck cancer.
Keywords: Ctdna (circulating tumor DNA), liver metastases, head and neck cancer, sinus, Postoperative recurrence
Received: 26 Aug 2025; Accepted: 10 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Wei, Song, Wu, Zhang, Chen, Yu and Cui. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Chenjie Yu, entphd@163.com
Xinyan Cui, xinyancui22@163.com
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