Signatera™ is a personalized, tumor-informed assay optimized to detect circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) for molecular residual disease (MRD) assessment, treatment response monitoring, and early recurrence monitoring.

The test can be performed on case of all solid tumors. Solid tumors are malignant diseases that do not originate from “blood cells”, the latter tumors are hematological malignancies, in their case the test cannot be performed.

There are some rarer types of solid tumors for which the test is not sensitive enough, therefore we always recommend consulting a specialist before the test.

It is recommended to take the first blood sample about 4 weeks after surgery. This way, we can reduce the disturbing effect of cells entering the bloodstream during the surgical procedure. The genetic information from circulating tumor cells degrades within 3-4 weeks, so it no longer affects the result.

The first blood test after a surgical intervention is recommended to done at least 4 weeks after the procedure.

If we want to use the Signatera test to monitor therapy, the blood should be taken 2-3 weeks after the given treatment, right before the next therapeutic cycle.

The frequency of sampling during follow-up is highly individual and tumor-dependent, so prior consultation is necessary to determine the frequency. In general, it can be said that sampling is recommended every 3 months for the first 2 years, and then every 6 months.

The results of the first Signatera test will be ready in 6-8 weeks. During this time, the patient’s unique mutation pattern is determined from the tumor sample and is assessed from the blood samples, as well.

Then, during follow-up tests, we re-examine the presence or absence of circulating tumor DNA in the blood based on the previously determined pattern. Each additional blood sample takes 2 weeks to analyze.