Molecular residual disease: A new clue for individualized approach in non-small cell lung cancer

The prognostic value of molecular residual disease (MRD) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cases using high-depth circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) sequencing has been well documented. The utility of MRD to direct individualized therapy has increasingly emerged in the clinical trial design of solid tumors, such as escalation or de-escalation of adjuvant therapy based on MRD. And the efficiency of MRD assay is a key determinant to the success of clinical trials, especially the limitation of detection and predictive value. Here, we review the progress made in evaluating the clinical validity of ctDNA-MRD test and provide insight into exploiting these developments to future clinical scenarios for improving the individualized therapy of NSCLC.