Appendiceal adenocarcinoma (AA), a rare type of appendix cancer, can be challenging to detect. While it is often treated with surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC), better tools are needed to guide patient selection, monitoring and treatment decisions. Researchers led by Michael White, M.D., and John Paul Shen, M.D., analyzed circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in AA and identified a unique mutational profile, with TP53mutations being the most common.
They detected ctDNA less frequently in metastatic AA and at lower levels than in colorectal cancer, suggesting that AA sheds less DNA into the bloodstream. Detectable ctDNA was associated with lower survival rates, highlighting ctDNA’s potential as a valuable tool for identifying AA patients with poorer prognoses. This approach could enhance patient selection and monitoring in AA care.