Longitudinal profiling of hormone receptor positive, HER2 negative metastatic breast cancer through droplet digital PCR-based circulating tumor DNA fragmentomics.

ABSTRACT:

Background

In the context of hormone receptor positive, HER2 negative Metastatic breast cancer (MBC), CDK 4/6 inhibitors (CDK4/6i) combined with endocrine therapy represent the standard first-line treatment, improving Progression-Free Survival (PFS) and Overall Survival (OS). Despite these benefits, resistance to treatment develops, necessitating early risk classification to guide clinical management. This study explores the potential of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) fragmentomics, specifically ACTB fragments, in predicting tumor dynamics and treatment outcomes in luminal MBC, based on the principle that shorter DNA fragments are generally indicative of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) from tumor cells, while longer fragments are associated with leukocyte lysis.

Methods

In the MAGNETIC

SUBMITTER: Foffano L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12268100 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature