MRD

Minimal Residual Disease (MRD) refers to the small number of cancer cells that may remain in a person's body during or after treatment, even when the patient appears to be in remission. These residual cells can cause a relapse of the disease.

Definition

Minimal Residual Disease (MRD) is a term used in oncology to describe the small number of malignant cells that remain in the body of a patient who is in remission. These cells are typically undetectable using standard diagnostic methods, but can be identified using more sensitive techniques such as flow cytometry, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), or next-generation sequencing (NGS).

Importance

The presence of MRD is a strong predictor of disease relapse in many types of cancer, including leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple myeloma. Therefore, MRD testing is increasingly being used to guide treatment decisions and monitor patient response to therapy.

Detection

MRD detection methods include flow cytometry, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and next-generation sequencing (NGS). These techniques can detect one cancer cell among a million or more healthy cells, providing a much more sensitive measure of disease burden than traditional imaging or pathology methods.

Treatment

The goal of treatment in patients with MRD is to eliminate the remaining cancer cells and prevent a relapse of the disease. This may involve additional chemotherapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy, or stem cell transplantation, depending on the type of cancer and the patient's overall health.

Research

Research in MRD is focused on improving detection methods, understanding the biology of residual cancer cells, and developing new treatments to eliminate MRD and prevent relapse.