Thread by @manjuggm

Welcome to #TumorBoardTuesday
Hello Everyone,

I’m Manju George, a stage 3b rectal cancer survivor
I was diagnosed in 2017 & I wasn’t yet 45 then

Are you excited to discuss #CtDNA testing?

Let's get started..
But first things 1st
Tell us about you
#PatientExperience #CRCSM

My tumor
-In the upper rectum near the recto-sigmoid
Clean CAP CT scan & MRI pelvis
CEA 1.0 at dx
LAR sx 1st
Stage 3b rectal, MSS, BRAF WT

No chemo-RT
4 cycles of CAPOX
Clean scans at the end of treatment🎉🎉

What about you?

#TumorBoardTuesday #CRCSM #CtDNA #LiquidBiopsies

Survivorship--Different parts, very nice diagram from @CancerSurvSM
Great patient worksheet resource here--smhs.gwu.edu/cancercontrolt…
#TumorBoardTuesday #PatientExperience #CtDNA

Tell us about survivorship & you

Me? CBC, metabolic panel, CEA every 3m for 3y, then 6m
Colonoscopy at Y1 from dx, then at Y3
Annual CT scans
I felt I needed more ways of keeping track of tumor in my body
Asked for & got CA 19-9 added
What else?
#TumorBoardTuesday #CRCSM #CtDNA

When you hear #CtDNA #LiquidBiopsies what comes to mind?

Dr. John Marshall described Circulating Tumor DNA (CtDNA) as “tumor trash in the blood stream”

#CtDNA are tumor DNA shed into the blood when tumor cells turn over anywhere in the body

#TumorBoardTuesday #CRCSM

Tell us your experience with #CtDNA tests

#CtDNA—Use in early stage CRC
-MRD (#MinimalResidualDisease) detection.

After curative intent therapy, are tumor cells hiding in the body?

For me, this was why I was interested in CtDNA testing
#TumorBoardTuesday #CRCSM

Types of CtDNA tests

Tumor-naïve :1 CRC-specific panel for all
Vs
Tumor-Informed :Each panel is patient tumor-specific

Needs only 🩸 Vs🩸 & tissue

Gives mutational info🧬 or not

Number value for results Vs + or -ve

Diff in turn around time

#TumorBoardTuesday #CRCSM

How to approach MRD tests?

--Another tool in the surveillance packet
--Know your tolerance to info you cannot act on
--Test not for everyone
--Test not a fortune teller
#TumorBoardTuesday #CRCSM

CtDNA tests are different kinds
CtDNA MRD tests maybe another helpful tool in a surveillance kit, but may not for everyone
Survivorship is new territory & everyone needs help to navigate, things get better with time
Scanxiety comes with a cancer diagnosis

#TumorBoardTuesday

COLONTOWN University Diagnostic & Surveillance testing Learning Center is a great place to learn about CtDNA tests. Click here to join colontown.org/university/