Minimal Residual Disease in Solid Tumors: Emerging Technologies and Clinical Applications
A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Cancer Biomarkers".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 February 2026 | Viewed by 3
Special Issue Editors
2. Laboratory of Translational Oncology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece
Interests: circulating tumor cells; ctDNA; liquid biopsy; biomarkers; lung cancer; breast cancer
Interests: minimal residual disease (MRD); liquid biopsy; circulating tumor cells (CTCs); ctDNA; breast and lung cancer; molecular oncology; precision medicine; immunotherapy
2. Laboratory of Translational Oncology, School of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece
Interests: minimal residual disease (MRD); liquid biopsy; circulating tumor cells (CTCs); ctDNA; breast and lung cancer; molecular oncology; precision medicine; immunotherapy
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The concept of minimal residual disease (MRD), which refers to the presence of residual cancer cells in a patient’s body during or following curative-intent therapy, has shaped hematological oncology for decades and is now emerging as a powerful tool in the care of patients with solid tumors as well. With the increasing precision of liquid biopsy platforms, including circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) analysis, we are entering an era where risk, treatment response, and patient monitoring can be assessed at an unprecedented molecular depth.
This Special Issue of Cancers aims to explore the current landscape, unmet needs, and future directions of MRD detection and application in solid malignancies. Recent findings underscore both the clinical promise and scientific challenges of MRD assessment. While MRD detection has demonstrated strong prognostic value across tumor types, its clinical utility in terms of tailoring treatment decisions, adapting treatment strategies during therapy, and disease monitoring during follow-up remains a field of active investigation. Moreover, not all assays labeled as MRD are equivalent; assay sensitivity, standardization, applications, and clear definitions of clinically valid cutoffs are essential for effective implementation.
We invite submissions of original research articles, reviews, and expert perspectives that address technical advances in MRD detection, validation studies, clinical integration strategies, and the role of MRD in guiding immunotherapy, adjuvant treatment, and surveillance. By sharing ideas across disciplines, from molecular diagnostics and computational biology to clinical oncology, we hope this issue will shed light on how MRD may evolve from a prognostic marker to a true decision-making tool in oncology.
Prof. Dr. Sofia Agelaki
Dr. Kleita Michaelidou
Dr. Aristeidis Boukouris
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cancers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- minimal residual disease (MRD)
- solid tumors
- circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA)
- liquid biopsy
- tumor-informed assays
- precision oncology
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