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, /PRNewswire/ -- A blood test could help reduce costs for health plans by reliably identifying patients who might be able to safely forgo chemotherapy after surgery for stage II colorectal cancer, according to a study published today in , a member of the JAMA Network. Researchers from Haystack Oncology, a Quest Diagnostics (NYSE: ) company and developer of the Haystack MRDTM tumor-informed ctDNA MRD technology, City of Hope and the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research conducted the study. The analysis is the first of its kind published in a peer-reviewed journal to demonstrate the potential of circulating tumor DNA minimal residual disease (ctDNA MRD) tests to help reduce costs of adjuvant chemotherapy to U.

S. health plans without compromising recurrence-free survival in patients with colorectal cancer. ctDNA MRD tests are highly advanced blood or "liquid biopsy" tests that help identify early evidence of residual or recurrent cancer after surgical removal of a solid tumor.



"This study provides compelling evidence that health plans can reimburse for ctDNA MRD testing with neutral affect to their budgets while also gaining clinical insights into disease risk that other routine tests may not provide," said , MD, PhD, senior author of the study and a medical oncologist at Duarte Cancer Center in , specializing in the treatment of gastrointestinal cancers. "We hope this latest data gives healthcare policy makers greater confidence to adopt tumor-informed ctDNA MRD.

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