Overview
Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is fragmented DNA shed by tumor cells into the bloodstream, where it mixes with the broader pool of cell-free DNA. Because it carries the genetic and epigenetic alterations of the tumor from which it originates, ctDNA can be analyzed through a minimally invasive blood test, often called a liquid biopsy, to gain insight into a cancer's molecular characteristics. It is studied as a biomarker for detecting cancer, characterizing tumor mutations, monitoring response to treatment, tracking the emergence of resistance, and detecting residual or recurrent disease, offering a real-time and repeatable window into tumor biology without the need for tissue sampling. Within this journal's focus on Cancer Genetics And Biomarkers, related research examines circulating molecular markers in the blood of cancer patients, including a study showing that dynamic microRNA expression in the plasma of melanoma patients correlates with disease progression, PD-L1 status, and overall survival, and work on immunoassays and emerging immunogenomic approaches for immunomonitoring in cancer. Such studies reflect the broader effort to use blood-based molecular signals for non-invasive cancer detection and monitoring. This page gathers peer-reviewed, open-access research relevant to the topic.
Research published in this journal
3 peer-reviewed articles, ranked by relevance. Each links to its DOI.
The Current Immunoassays and Emerging Immunogenomic Approaches for Immunomonitoring Cancer and Infectious Diseases
RET 898-901Del mutant, a variant of unknown significance, has a durable response to Pralsetinib in a Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma patient
How this research is being cited
The 3 articles above have been cited 5 times in the scholarly literature. Citation data via OpenAlex and Crossref, updated Jun 2026.
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2026 · Human Gene
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CFTR-mediated monocyte/macrophage dysfunction revealed by cystic fibrosis proband-parent comparisons2022 · JCI Insight
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CFTR-mediated monocyte/macrophage dysfunction revealed by cystic fibrosis proband-parent comparisons2022 · JCI Insight
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2021 · medRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
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CFTR-mediated monocyte-macrophage dysfunction revealed by cystic fibrosis proband-parent comparisonsX. Zhang et al. · 2021 · medRxiv
A sample of recent works citing this journal's research on Circulating Tumor DNA, linking to each citing work.