On October 6, 2026 Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTRA), a global leader in cell-free DNA and precision medicine, reported new data recently shared at the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) 2026 Annual Meeting. The presentations marked Natera’s first participation at ASTRO and a significant step in demonstrating Signatera’s role in treatment response monitoring and risk stratification. All four abstracts were selected for oral presentations, reflecting the breadth of tumor types and treatment settings in which Signatera is demonstrating clinical utility.
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Two presentations from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center evaluated Signatera for risk stratification in cancers where organ preservation is a treatment goal. In locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC), a real-world study showed that Signatera identified every instance of local cancer growth or recurrence (100% sensitivity), and showed 97% specificity following neoadjuvant treatment. A study in anal squamous cell carcinoma (ASCC) demonstrated that Signatera positivity after definitive chemoradiation therapy (CRT) identified a high-risk group, with 18-month progression-free survival (PFS) of 8% and 18-month overall survival (OS) of 73% after a positive result; among patients who remained Signatera-negative after CRT, 18-month PFS was 97%.
Two presentations in gynecological cancers further support the value of Signatera as a tool for risk stratification and post-treatment monitoring. The first study found that Signatera status by the end of treatment identified patients with significantly improved progression-free survival in patients with vulvovaginal cancer. Signatera positivity also preceded radiographic recurrence in all patients (100% sensitivity) with a median lead time of 117 days. In the second study, in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer treated with chemoradiation, Signatera positivity at the midpoint of treatment identified a patient with subsequent recurrence nine months later, while all patients who were Signatera-negative at the midpoint remained disease free.
"Cancer management is a multidisciplinary effort that includes both local and systemic treatment," said Minetta Liu, M.D., chief medical officer, oncology and early cancer detection, Natera. "Radiation oncologists are on the front lines of some of the most consequential treatment decisions in cancer care, and the data presented at ASTRO support the value of including Signatera monitoring as part of the clinical toolkit. What excites us about these findings is not just the strength of the data, but what they signal about where this field is heading. We are proud to be generating the evidence to help move it there."
Full list of presentations at ASTRO 2026 included:
Abstract #1040
Presenter: Revathi Ravella, M.D.
Tumor-Informed Circulating Tumor DNA for Prediction of Organ Preservation and Enhanced Surveillance in Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer: A Real-World Cohort
Abstract #211
Presenter: Bin Gui, M.D., MS
The Prognostic Role of Circulating Tumor DNA in Vulvovaginal Cancers Undergoing Radiotherapy
Abstract #213
Presenter: Bin Gui, M.D., MS
Circulating Tumor DNA (ctDNA) as an Early Predictive Biomarker of Response in Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer Treated with the Interlace Regimen: A Preliminary Report
Abstract #228
Presenter: Elisa Liu, M.D.
Circulating Tumor DNA Positivity after Chemoradiation Marks an Imminent High-Risk State in Anal Squamous Cell Carcinoma
(Press release, Natera, OCT 6, 2026, View Source [SID1234673241])