Analysis of circulating cell-free DNA identifies KRAS copy number gain and mutation as a novel prognostic marker in Pancreatic cancer

Serial biopsy of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), to chart tumour evolution presents a significant challenge. We examined the utility of circulating free DNA (cfDNA) as a minimally invasive approach across a cohort of 55 treatment-naïve patients with PDAC; 31 with metastatic and 24 with locally advanced disease. Somatic mutations in cfDNA were detected using next generation sequencing in 15/24 (62.5%) and 27/31 (87%) of patients with...