Minimal residual disease

Minimal residual disease is the small population of cancer cells that remains after treatment, often below the detection limit of conventional tests. Sensitive assays can detect it even when no disease is visible clinically.

Flow cytometry: A technique that identifies and counts cells by measuring light scattered or emitted as they pass through a laser beam. It detects abnormal cell populations by their distinctive surface markers and physical properties.
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia: A rapidly progressing blood cancer in which immature lymphoid cells multiply in bone marrow and blood. MRD testing is widely used to assess treatment response and relapse risk in this leukemia.
Complete remission: A state in which signs and symptoms of cancer have disappeared under defined clinical criteria. A patient can meet remission criteria while sensitive tests still detect cancer cells.
Analytical sensitivity: The ability of a test to detect small amounts of a target in a sample. Different detection limits can classify the same patient as MRD-positive or MRD-negative.
Polymerase chain reaction: A method that amplifies selected DNA sequences so they can be detected in small quantities. It can identify cancer-linked genetic sequences in samples containing very few tumor cells.
Acute myeloid leukemia: A rapidly progressing blood cancer arising from immature myeloid cells. Post-treatment MRD can help identify patients at elevated risk of relapse.
Relapse: The return of a disease after a period of improvement or apparent remission. Residual cancer cells can survive treatment and later expand into detectable disease.
False negative rate: The proportion of affected cases that a test incorrectly reports as negative. Sparse or unevenly distributed cancer cells can escape detection in sampled tissue or blood.
Next-generation sequencing: A set of technologies that sequences millions of DNA fragments in parallel. It tracks tumor-specific mutations to reveal residual disease at very low levels.
Multiple myeloma: A cancer of antibody-producing plasma cells that usually grows in bone marrow. Sensitive marrow and blood assays can detect disease persisting after therapy.

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