Cell-free DNA testing company Natera Inc (NASDAQ:NTRA) on Tuesday reported publication of a prospective study in Clinical Cancer Research demonstrating that its Signatera molecular residual disease (MRD) test can help identify older patients with early-stage ER+/HER2- breast cancer who may safely forgo surgery.

The study evaluated 43 women aged 70 and older who elected primary endocrine therapy instead of surgery, with MRD testing conducted at baseline and during follow-up alongside imaging and clinical assessments.

At baseline, 68% of patients were MRD-negative, and none of these patients experienced disease progression, indicating a 100% negative predictive value. Among MRD-positive patients, most cleared circulating tumour DNA after six months and remained progression-free, while progression events were consistently preceded by MRD positivity and detected in advance of imaging.

The findings suggest Signatera may support treatment decision-making and monitoring by providing early indicators of disease status, potentially enabling non-surgical management strategies in selected patients.