Blog
A paradigm shift in cancer care: Patients with select tumors successfully treated by immunotherapy alone
In a landmark study, many patients with mismatch repair–deficient (dMMR, also known as MMRd) cancers were effectively treated with immunotherapy alone, without surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation. 100% of patients with dMMR rectal cancer, and around
The importance of truncal somatic mutations in MRD testing
The type of mutations, or genetic variants, tracked in circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA)–based minimal residual disease (MRD) testing matters. Haystack MRD™ prioritizes truncal somatic mutations—those mutations that are present at the initial formation of a
Tumor-naive versus tumor-informed approaches to MRD testing
One of the most critical differentiators among minimal residual disease (MRD) tests is whether they are tumor-informed—that is, using information from a patient’s tumor sample to design a personalized test—or whether they are tumor-naive, using
Haystack MRD™: Proven clinical utility
An enduring challenge in cancer management is the accurate identification of patients who harbor any remaining cancer cells—or minimal residual disease (MRD)—following curative-intent treatment such as surgery to remove a tumor. These patients require additional
DNA input and number of mutations tracked: a balancing act
By increasing sensitivity, minimal residual disease (MRD) tests can confidently detect residual, recurrent, or resistant disease earlier than traditional methods like imaging and antigen testing. For circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA)-based tests such as Haystack MRD,
