At ASH, Natera presented real-world data showing circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) — a minimal residual disease (MRD) assay — was prognostic across lymphoma subtypes and outperformed PET scans at end of treatment. The lead finding: ctDNA positivity correlated with worse outcomes and may improve post-treatment risk stratification. Separately, researchers pooled the largest prospective MRD dataset in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and reported that MRD-negative status prior to consolidation predicted longer overall survival, arguing the biomarker could serve as an intermediate endpoint for accelerated approvals. Jesse Tettero and colleagues presented the AML analysis at ASH. MRD refers to highly sensitive assays that detect tiny numbers of cancer cells remaining after therapy; regulators have previously accepted MRD as a surrogate in other blood cancers, and these new lymphoma and AML data are being positioned to inform future regulatory pathways.