A small but provocative prospective series evaluated circulating tumor (ct)HPV-DNA both pre-op and at various timepoints post-op for 33 patients undergoing resection of stage I-II HPV+ oropharyngeal carcinoma. Minimal residual disease (MRD) was defined as elevated ctHPV-DNA at two or more timepoints following surgery without radiographically or clinically visible disease. Of 3 patients with measured MRD, 3 developed a clinic recurrence (56, 152, and 415 days later) and 2 died. Of the remaining 29 patients without MRD, 0 recurred or died. | Naegele, JAMA Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2024
