CTDNA Predicts HCC Recurrence After Resection

Identifiable tumor mutational burden (TMB) in post-operative circulating tumor DNA predicts recurrence in hepatocellular carcinoma patients. TMB detection, unlike AFP, showed significant association with reduced recurrence-free survival and higher recurrence rates. TMB outperformed AFP in predicting post-operative recurrence, with a cut-off of 4.8 mutations/megabase. CTDNA may serve as a valuable surveillance tool post-hepatectomy, warranting larger studies to confirm its utility and explore prophylactic treatment potential in residual TMB patients.