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Beyond the conventional: the efficacy of liquid biopsy in post-therapeutic monitoring of oropharyngeal cancer, a meta-analysis
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 December 2025
Abstract
Objectives
This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic and surveillance performance of circulating tumour human papillomavirus DNA for post-treatment monitoring of human papilloma virus–positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma.
Methods
Systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies (2019–2024) identified from PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus. Random-effects models were used to pool circulating tumour human papillomavirus DNA detectability and summarise lead-times to recurrence.
Results
Fifteen studies (n=1,447) were included; 10 cohorts (n=731) entered the quantitative meta-analysis. Pooled baseline detectability was 85.5 per cent (95 per cent confidence interval 78.2–90.6). Circulating tumour human papillomavirus DNA positivity preceded clinical recurrence by a mean of 76.8 days (median 87.5). Specificity and negative predictive value were consistently high, whereas sensitivity varied by assay platform and sampling frequency.
Conclusion
Serial circulating tumour human papilloma virus DNA testing is a reliable adjunct to post-treatment surveillance in HPV-positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma, offering a clinically meaningful lead-time to recurrence. Standardised assays and multicentre validation are warranted.
Keywords
Information
- Type
- Review Article
- Information
- Copyright
- © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of J.L.O. (1984) LIMITED.
Footnotes
Sabina Dranova takes responsibility for the integrity of the content of the paper
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