Blood Tumoral Analytes: Witnesses, Actors and Targeted Therapy Advisors of Minimal Residual Disease (MRD) in Oncology

The evaluation of minimal residual disease (MRD) has become a crucial focus in the management of cancer, notably within leukemias, lymphomas, and certain solid tumors. Advances in molecular biology technologies, such as quantitative PCR and next-generation sequencing (NGS), now allow for more sensitive and earlier detection of MRD, thereby guiding post-treatment therapeutic decisions. Monitoring and understanding MRD through liquid biopsy techniques pave the way for precision medicine. This enables treatment to be tailored based on relapse risk, improving the chances of a cure while reducing unnecessary side effects.

The prognosis for cancer patients, even with early diagnosis and standardized therapy, can be adversely affected by the presence of MRD, which reflects the dissemination of tumor cells and the formation of metastases. While clinical examination and radiological imaging may be negative, the disease can progress silently. It is essential to devote attention to MRD, highlighting recent scientific advancements in this area. MRD is detected through the identification of tumor-derived analytes present in circulating blood, which serve as actors, witnesses, and therapeutic indicators using liquid biopsies. These include circulating tumor cells (CTCs), extracellular tumor-derived vesicles, and circulating DNA (ctDNA), each providing valuable insights into disease progression and treatment planning.

This Research Topic aims to explore the roles of blood-derived tumor analytes both as markers and advisors in MRD management within oncology.

To gather further insights on the range and limitations of MRD research, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

o Diagnostic advancements in MRD detection, including cell capture and sequencing techniques

o The clinical significance of MRD in prognosis, risk stratification, and therapy monitoring

o The specific challenges and implications of MRD in solid tumors

o Therapeutic applications and strategies for treatment de-escalation

o Technological and standardization challenges in MRD research, including laboratory practices

o Regulatory integration and validation of MRD as a clinical trial endpoint

o Future perspectives on non-invasive liquid biopsies and novel therapies like ferroptosis inducers

We welcome original research, reviews, and case studies that contribute to the understanding and management of MRD in oncology.




Please note that manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics or computational analysis of public omics databases that are not supplemented by relevant functional validation (clinical cohort or biological validation, in vitro or in vivo) are out of scope for this Research Topic.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Circulating tumor cells, circulating tumor DNA, extra cellular vesicles, epithelial mesenchymal transition, aptamers, liquid biopsy, ferroptosis, extracorporeal analytes capture system.

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.