On September 18, 2026 Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTRA), a global leader in cell-free DNA and precision medicine, reported new data that was recently presented at the IASLC 2026 World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) in Seoul, South Korea. Natera and its collaborators presented four abstracts, including two oral presentations.

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A mini-oral presentation featured the largest molecular residual disease (MRD) dataset ever presented in lung cancer. This analysis of 1,129 patients with resected stage 1-3 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) spanned an observation period from 2016 to 2025. Signatera MRD detection was evaluated in the early post-surgical window and throughout surveillance, with the following key findings:

Early post-surgical Signatera-status was strongly prognostic of recurrence-free survival. Signatera-positivity in the early post-surgical window (7–90 days after surgery) was associated with significantly worse recurrence-free survival (RFS), with a 25% higher absolute 3-year RFS for Signatera-negative patients.
Signatera-positive patients had approximately 5X the risk of recurrence or death during surveillance.
Findings were consistent across both the primary surgical and perioperative cohorts, supporting broad applicability of Signatera monitoring across resected stage 1-3 NSCLC.
"One of the pressing challenges in early-stage lung cancer is knowing which patients are truly at risk of recurrence and our standard clinical tools don’t reliably give us that answer," said Charu Aggarwal, M.D., MPH, FASCO, the Leslye Heisler Professor for Lung Cancer Excellence at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine and principal investigator of the study. "This dataset showed, across more than 1,100 patients, that Signatera MRD status, in the early post-surgical window and throughout surveillance, is a powerful and consistent predictor of recurrence-free and overall survival. That kind of evidence, at this scale, can meaningfully change how we think about adjuvant treatment decisions in lung cancer."

"Lung cancer touches more patients globally than any other cancer, and WCLC is a powerful reminder of the collective commitment to doing better for them," said Caitlin Schonewolf, M.D., MS, senior medical director, oncology, Natera. "Earlier and more precise answers can mean more time and better quality of life for patients with lung cancer."

Full list of presentations at WCLC 2026 included:

Abstract P2.192
Presenter: Deborah Doroshow, M.D., Ph.D.
Poster: ctDNA After Definitive Therapy ± Immunotherapy and Association with Survival Outcomes in Locally Advanced Unresectable NSCLC

Abstract P2.200
Presenter: Seohee Shim, M.D.
Poster: ctDNA-based Molecular Residual Disease as a Predictive Biomarker for Treatment Stratification in Unresectable Stage 3 NSCLC

Abstract MO05.07
Presenter: David Gandara, M.D.
Mini Oral: KRAS G12C Predicts Superior Outcomes with 1L Cemiplimab for Non-Squamous aNSCLC With PD-L1 ≥ 50%: Data From EMPOWER-Lung 1

Abstract MO11.09
Presenter: Charu Aggarwal, M.D., MPH, FASCO
Mini Oral: Post-Surgical Molecular Residual Disease Detection, Adjuvant Treatment Patterns, and Overall Survival in Resected Stage 1-3 NSCLC

(Press release, Natera, SEP 18, 2026, View Source [SID1234670955])