Clinical Utility of Liquid Biopsy (Cell-free DNA) Based EGFR Mutation Detection Post treatment Initiation as a Disease Monitoring Tool in Patients With Advanced EGFR-mutant NSCLC

IntroductionPlasma cfDNA-based mutation analysis has shown disease-monitoring potential in various cancers. We assessed the potential of cfDNA-based EGFR mutation testing as a monitoring tool in patients with NSCLC.Patients and MethodsPatients with NSCLC harboring EGFR mutations receiving first-line treatment as per institutional protocol were enrolled. EGFR mutation status was determined using plasma samples at baseline and post treatment initiation. Patients in whom EGFR mutation was detected or persisted after treatment initiation were considered circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA)-positive. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) for ctDNA-positive and negative patients post treatment initiation were the primary endpoints; concordance for baseline EGFR status between tissue and plasma and proportion of patients who were ctDNA-positive post treatment initiation were the secondary endpoints.ResultsWe enrolled 158 patients; 76 received gefitinib, and 82 received gefitinib plus chemotherapy. Median follow-up duration was 42 months. About 25% of patients were ctDNA-positive post treatment initiation. Median PFS for ctDNA-negative patients post treatment initiation was 14 (95% confidence interval CI], 12.0-17.0) months, while that for ctDNA-positive patients was 8 (95% CI, 6.0-10.0) months. Median OS for ctDNA-negative patients post treatment initiation was 27 (95% CI, 24.0-32.0) months, while that for ctDNA-positive patients was 15 (95% CI, 11.0-19.0) months. Concordance at baseline between tissue and plasma samples was 75.4%.ConclusionPlasma-based EGFR mutation detection post treatment initiation can be used as a predictive marker for outcome in patients with EGFR-mutant NSCLC receiving first-line treatment.