Haystack MRD Test Shows High Accuracy in Colorectal Cancer Trials

The analysis retrospectively evaluated the commercially available test against specimens from the DYNAMIC and DYNAMIC-III trials, which previously utilized earlier iterations of the technology to guide chemotherapy decisions. Results showed 100% sensitivity and specificity at the three-year follow-up, with 83.3% sensitivity and 100% specificity recorded at five years. Notably, the test significantly outperformed carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) testing, which detected recurrence at a rate of only 11.1% compared to 88.9% for Haystack MRD.

Beyond colorectal cancer, the study validated the test's performance across 23 different solid tumor types. Investigators from Quest Diagnostics, Haystack Oncology, the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Center highlighted the test’s ultrasensitive detection capabilities, which include a limit of detection of 0.063 mean ctDNA molecules per milliliter of plasma. This precision allows clinicians to monitor patient response to treatment through serial testing, providing a clearer picture of tumor burden than standard imaging or traditional protein-based biomarkers.