MD Anderson researchers reported Phase 2 EXTEND trial findings showing that circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) testing can improve treatment monitoring in patients receiving metastasis-directed therapy for early metastatic cancers. The study adds to growing evidence that ctDNA can act as a real-time readout to stratify risk and adapt clinical decision-making. While the full trial details were not fully provided in the brief, the report emphasizes that ctDNA testing significantly supported how clinicians assessed disease dynamics during treatment. Correlative endpoints are expected to help define which patients benefit most from metastasis-directed interventions. The trial readout will likely drive renewed emphasis on non-invasive biomarker strategies as oncology systems look to reduce uncertainty between imaging and true molecular residual disease.