Circulating Plasma Nucleic Acids as Biomarkers in Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer

The identification of markers that predict patient outcomes remains an unmet clinical need in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Progress has been hampered due to challenges obtaining timely biopsy tissue for analysis, leading to increased popularity of ‘liquid biopsy’ approaches. In this study, a highly sensitive assay for analysis of plasma circulating cell-free DNA was optimised and validated. It was then applied to a cohort of men with mCRPC to investigate tumour landscapes and identify associations between tumour mutations and outcomes on current drug treatments. Multiple potential markers were identified, including mutations in androgen receptor pathway genes.