Prognostic and predictive utility of copy number variations (CNVs) in circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) from metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients

Abstract

Abstract Background: Due to difficulties with routine metastatic tissue biopsy in mCRPC, the identification of prognostic and predictive biomarkers for treatment with androgen-receptor signalling inhibitors (ARSI) and chemotherapy remains an unmet clinical need. Plasma circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) has emerged as a promising minimally-invasive tool with which to interrogate the cancer genome. However, detection of copy number variations (CNVs) in ctDNA has proved challenging. This poses a major problem in mCRPC, which commonly harbours pathogenic CNVs. Here we use an ultra-sensitive next-generation sequencing (NGS) assay to identify CNVs in ctDNA from mCRPC patients and cor..