Using a blood test that looks for tumor DNA to monitor early and locally advanced breast cancer
Official title: Treatment monitoring in early and locally advanced breast cancer using circulating tumor DNA analysis
Funded at University of Wisconsin-Madison · NIH-11306078 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project uses a sensitive blood test that looks for tiny bits of tumor DNA to track treatment response in people with early or locally advanced breast cancer.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Wisconsin-Madison NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Madison, United States) |
| Project start | March 1, 2020 |
| Project end | February 28, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $205,159 |
| NIH project number | 5UH3CA234306-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11306078 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are people with early or locally advanced breast cancer who are receiving neoadjuvant and/or adjuvant treatment and who can provide serial blood samples.
✕Less likely to help
People with metastatic breast cancer or those not undergoing surgery or systemic therapy are unlikely to be helped directly by this specific monitoring approach.
What this research studies
From your perspective, researchers will use a new blood test called TARDIS (Targeted Digital Sequencing) to look for multiple tumor-specific DNA changes in small blood samples taken before, during, and after treatment. The test combines many patient-specific DNA markers to boost sensitivity so very small amounts of remaining cancer (minimal residual disease) can be detected earlier than with current methods. Blood samples will be collected over time and compared with surgery, imaging, and outcomes to see how well the test matches real treatment results. The goal is to learn whether this approach can better guide decisions about extra chemotherapy or surgery.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could help avoid unnecessary chemotherapy or surgery by showing who truly needs extra treatment and who may be safely spared additional therapy.
How similar studies have gone: Prior studies have shown ctDNA can detect recurrence months before imaging but often lacked sensitivity, and TARDIS is a newer, more sensitive method being tested to overcome that limitation.
Where this research is happening
-
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Murtaza, Muhammed — University of Wisconsin-Madison
- Study coordinator: Murtaza, Muhammed
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
-
Monitoring breast cancer treatment using blood tests for tumor DNA
This study is looking at how to better treat people with early and locally advanced breast cancer by checking for tiny bits of cancer DNA in their blood, which could help doctors spot any remaining cancer sooner and tailor treatments to each patient, reducing the chance of unnecessary therapies.
-
Investigating factors that affect blood tests for early breast cancer detection
This study is looking at how different ways of collecting and processing blood samples can help improve blood tests that check for early signs of breast cancer, and it's for patients with early or locally advanced breast cancer.
-
Examining lymph node biopsy techniques after chemotherapy in advanced breast cancer patients
This study is looking at whether a less invasive procedure called sentinel lymph node biopsy can help women with locally advanced breast cancer who have received chemotherapy, making it easier to check for cancer spread in the armpit without needing more complicated surgeries.
-
Radiomic markers from 3D mammography to predict breast cancer risk across diverse women
A Mayo Clinic team is testing advanced computer-derived features from 3D mammograms to improve predicting who will develop breast cancer, including diverse groups of women.
-
Improving how the immune system fights advanced breast cancer by relieving tumor pressure
A breast cancer treatment study tests whether a common blood pressure drug (losartan) can help immune cells get into tumors and work better with immunotherapy.
-
Personalizing estrogen therapy for ER-positive breast cancer
This project finds how the hormone estrogen can kill certain ER-positive breast cancers and how to tell which patients will benefit.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.