What does a positive MRD result indicate?

What does a positive MRD result indicate?

• A. Presence of circulating tumor DNA and residual disease
• B. Absence of tumor DNA
• C. No residual disease but monitoring for recurrence
• D. Only germline mutations detected

Answer: (A)

Minimal residual disease testing looks for tiny amounts of tumor-derived DNA in the blood or marrow after therapy. A positive MRD result means circulating tumor DNA is detectable, indicating malignant cells persist at a very low level and that there is residual disease. This carries a higher risk of relapse and can guide decisions about additional treatment or closer monitoring. If MRD is negative, no tumor DNA is detectable with the test, suggesting no measurable residual disease, though relapse can still occur in some cases. Detecting only germline mutations isn’t related to residual cancer, since MRD focuses on somatic tumor-derived DNA, not inherited variants.

Minimal residual disease testing looks for tiny amounts of tumor-derived DNA in the blood or marrow after therapy. A positive MRD result means circulating tumor DNA is detectable, indicating malignant cells persist at a very low level and that there is residual disease. This carries a higher risk of relapse and can guide decisions about additional treatment or closer monitoring. If MRD is negative, no tumor DNA is detectable with the test, suggesting no measurable residual disease, though relapse can still occur in some cases. Detecting only germline mutations isn’t related to residual cancer, since MRD focuses on somatic tumor-derived DNA, not inherited variants.