Natera to Present Data on MRD-Guided Cancer Care at ASCO 2026

(Austin, TX, USA), a company focused on cell-free DNA testing and precision medicine, announced an oncology data program for the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, taking place May 29–June 2 in Chicago. 

The program will feature 35 abstracts, including three oral presentations, with a focus on Signatera as a foundational pan-cancer tool for molecular residual disease (MRD) testing and the Treatment on MRD (TOMR) approach. Natera will also present updates to its ultrasensitive phased variant technology and unveil Annotation, a digital platform designed to integrate clinical, treatment, and genomic information with Signatera results. 

At ASCO 2026, Natera will present multiple analyses from the GALAXY study in colorectal cancer that evaluate TOMR for MRD-guided adjuvant decision-making. The TOMR approach emphasizes more precise intervention upon molecular recurrence. In one analysis, patients who were initially Signatera-negative but later converted to Signatera-positive showed substantial benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy (hazard ratio [HR] 0.3), while those with sustained Signatera negativity had excellent outcomes regardless of treatment, suggesting possible overtreatment. 

A separate analysis found no added benefit from extending adjuvant chemotherapy beyond three months in patients with sustained Signatera negativity or Signatera clearance. Partial molecular responders appeared to benefit from continued therapy, whereas molecular progression during treatment suggested the need for alternative strategies.

Also being presented is a first‑of‑its‑kind, real‑world meta‑analysis that pools 18 published studies encompassing more than 3,000 patients across 15 tumor types. Signatera‑positivity was strongly associated with increased risk of recurrence or disease progression at all assessed timepoints, including an HR of 8.15 in the adjuvant window and 18.30 in the surveillance setting.

Additional data will highlight Natera’s phased variant technology designed for ultrasensitive ctDNA detection, with the ability to identify signals below 1 part per 10 million, including an early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) analysis in which all patients who cleared ctDNA during or after adjuvant therapy remained recurrence-free, while ctDNA detection preceded recurrence in 94% of cases. In a separate analysis in relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma, MRD negativity after CAR T cell therapy was associated with improved 36-month progression-free survival compared with MRD positivity (81% versus 56%). 

Natera and its collaborators will present real-world findings on ctDNA dynamics and clinical outcomes across colorectal cancer, NSCLC, breast cancer, and other tumor types. The company will also introduce Annotation at ASCO, a digital platform that combines clinical, treatment, and genomic data into a single interface to map longitudinal patient journeys and provide broader context for Signatera results at both the individual patient and cohort levels.

“This is the most comprehensive oncology data program Natera has presented to date, reflecting the growing adoption of Signatera and the accelerating momentum behind precision MRD-guided care,” said Alexey Aleshin, M.D., corporate chief medical officer and general manager of oncology.

“Collectively, these studies reinforce Signatera’s broad clinical utility, highlight the continued advancement of our technology platform, and demonstrate the strength and depth of our evidence as we work to make cancer care more actionable and personalized,” said Aleshin.

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