DNAssurance

There’s got to be an easier way than PET to survey patients with p16(+) oropharyngeal cancer. This prospective report (LBA6) offers a promising solution in none other than circulating tumor HPV-DNA (what else?). Of 89 patients surveyed with blood tests at time of all routine clinical follow-ups after definitive radiation, 16 developed detectable serum HPV-DNA at a mean of 17 months. Half of these were determined to have clinical recurrences. More exciting were the remaining 73 without detectable HPV-DNA, among whom there were zero recurrences. TBL: At an admittedly short mean follow-up of 20 months, circulating tumor HPV-DNA demonstrates a negative predictive value of 100% in detecting p16(+) oropharyngeal cancer recurrences. | Chera, ASTRO 2018