ASCO 2018 | CCGA: plasma cfDNA lung cancer screening

Cell-free (cf)DNA analysis is frequently used in lung cancer to identify therapeutic targets, but there has also been recent interest in using this technology to create a minimally invasive cancer screening methodology. In this video, recorded at the American Society of Oncology (ASCO) 2018 Annual Meeting, held in Chicago, IL, Geoffrey Oxnard, MD, of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, discusses the Circulating Cell-free Genome Atlas study (CCGA; NCT02889978), which uses a combination of targeted sequencing, genome-wide sequencing and genome-wide methylation analysis to test whether cfDNA can be used to correctly identify which patients in a group of 12,000 are lung cancer positive. Dr Oxnard explains how the study aims to eradicate false positive results by identifying and eliminating mutational signals from white blood cells, and also gives an overview of the positive results of the trial so far. Finally, he emphasizes the importance of developing this technology into an effective diagnostic in lung cancer and other cancers.