Circulating Tumor DNA Analysis Informing Adjuvant Chemotherapy in Stage III Colorectal Cancer: A Randomized Phase III Trail (DYNAMICIII/ CO.29)

Colorectal cancer is the second most deadly cancer in Canada. Treatment typically involves surgery and chemotherapy, which can be effective but also cause significant side effects and not always prevent the cancer from returning. The DYNAMIC-III/CO.29 study is a major international clinical trial led by BC-based researcher and medical oncologist, Dr. Jonathan Loree based at the University of British Columbia and associated with the BC Cancer Agency. The trial involves 1000 patients who have had surgery for stage III colorectal cancer and is investigating a new approach that identifies fragments of tumor DNA in the blood, called circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), to tailor chemotherapy more closely to each patient’s needs. By checking for ctDNA shortly after surgery, doctors can adjust the intensity of chemotherapy—either increasing it if ctDNA is detected, suggesting remaining cancer, or reducing it if no ctDNA is found, to spare unnecessary side effects.

Assistance from the CANTRAIN-CTTP & Michael Smith Health Research BC Masters’ Studentship 2024 Award Program supports this major clinical trial through Masters’ Student, Michael Diaz-Stewart’s whose work on evaluating colorectal cancer subtypes through artificial intelligence-based screening ties into the wider project. This award contributes to BC-based frontier research aiming to improve our ability to precisely treat colorectal cancers through revised practices and artificial intelligence-informed screening.