On October 18, 2026 Natera, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTRA), a global leader in cell-free DNA and precision medicine, reported that 20 abstracts featuring its technology will be presented at the 2026 European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) (Free ESMO Whitepaper) Annual Congress, taking place October 23–26 in Madrid, Spain.

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New evidence highlights the power of Natera’s latest ultrasensitive molecular residual disease (MRD) technology, Signatera Genome with Phased and Structural Variants, which has demonstrated an industry-leading analytical limit of detection (LOD95) below 1 part per million (ppm), and detection observed significantly below 1 part per 10 million.1

Spanning tumor types and treatment modalities, multiple ESMO (Free ESMO Whitepaper) presentations will show that serial ctDNA testing provides meaningful clinical benefit:

ICONIC trial in gastroesophageal cancer (abstract 2901P): Among patients treated with perioperative chemotherapy and immunotherapy, MRD clearance during neoadjuvant therapy was strongly associated with a lower risk of recurrence and a favorable pathologic response. Signatera Genome with Phased and Structural Variants detected all evaluable recurrences during surveillance, with a >7.3 month median lead time over standard imaging.
SAGITTARIUS trial in colon cancer (abstract 808P): In this phase III trial, post-operative patients were randomized to a physician-choice adjuvant treatment plan prior to receiving MRD results to assess impact. The analysis showed that Signatera results influenced a change to providers’ pre-planned treatment for one in three patients, of which 87% were treatment de-escalated based on MRD negativity.
Colorectal/Breast cancer (abstract 4258P): In a retrospective analysis of surveillance monitoring of stage I-III breast and colorectal cancer survivors, serial Signatera negativity was associated with an extremely low 2-year recurrence risk, which may help refine risk stratification and inform eligibility for solid organ transplant earlier than current methodologies.
Breast cancer (abstract 1770RO): In HER2+ metastatic breast cancer, an analysis of exceptional responders on anti-HER2 therapy showed 81% with sustained MRD-negativity during serial monitoring, supporting the potential for Signatera-guided de-escalation.
MDT-Bridge trial in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (abstract LBA62): This phase II trial evaluated MRD clearance from baseline to pre-surgery/pre-CRT using the Clarity assay with phased variant technology.
MRD-guided reflex to liquid CGP drives actionable treatment decisions (abstract 4260P): In a cohort of 50 patients across 10 tumor types, Signatera, complemented by reflex to blood-based comprehensive genomic profiling (liquid CGP), identified clinically relevant biomarkers in 18 patients, including ESR1, BRAF, FGFR3, and BRCA2.
"We are pleased to share data at ESMO (Free ESMO Whitepaper) that highlights our expanding diagnostics portfolio, which includes the newest version of our ultrasensitive Signatera Genome test," said Minetta Liu, M.D., chief medical officer, oncology and early cancer detection, Natera. "The incorporation of phased and structural variants results in the ability to detect ctDNA significantly below 1 part per 10 million and takes MRD sensitivity into a range we haven’t seen before."

The 2026 ESMO (Free ESMO Whitepaper) program featuring Natera’s technologies includes:

October 23, 2026, 15:15 CET | Abstract 4258P
Presenter: Hideaki Bando, M.D., Ph.D.
Poster: Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA)-informed risk prediction in breast (BC) and colorectal cancer (CRC) patients (pts): implications for solid organ transplant (SOT)

October 23, 2026, 15:15 CET | Abstract 4265P
Presenter: Luca Lazzari, Ph.D.
Poster: Genomic alterations and association with post-surgery circulating tumor DNA status in early-stage colon cancer

October 23, 2026, 15:15 CET | Abstract 4764P
Presenter: Yousef Zakharia, M.D.
Poster: Outcomes in patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer with divergent differentiation or histologic subtypes from NIAGARA

October 23, 2026, 15:15 CET | Abstract 3633P
Presenter: Nicholas Bingham, BS
Poster: Utility of circulating tumor DNA in patients with renal cell carcinoma at increased risk of recurrence after resection

October 23, 2026, 16:15 CET | Abstract 542RO
Presenter: Yukinori Ozaki, M.D., Ph.D.
Rapid Oral: Prognostic impact of postoperative ctDNA surveillance on relapse-free survival and molecular lead time in high-risk breast cancer: JCOG1204A1

October 23, 2026, 15:15 CET | Abstract 4462P
Presenter: Benjamin O. Herzberg, M.D.
Poster: Genomic landscape of the SKI Complex in a large multi-cancer cohort of 260,000 tumors

October 23, 2026, 15:15 CET | Abstract 4276P
Presenter: Nicholas Hornstein, M.D., Ph.D.
Poster: Quantification of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in patients using a multi-cancer, methylation-based assay for tissue-free treatment response monitoring (tf-TRM)

October 23, 2026, 15:15 CET | Abstract 4260P
Presenter: Jason A. Mouabbi, M.D.
Poster: Clinical utility of reflex liquid comprehensive genomic profiling (LCGP) to complement tumor-informed circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) monitoring in solid tumors

October 23, 2026, 15:15 CET | Abstract 4417P
Presenter: Fizza Mughal, Ph.D.
Poster: Plasma whole-exome sequencing (pWES) reveals somatic landscape and clonal dynamics in metastatic urothelial carcinoma

October 24, 2026, 10:15 CET | Abstract 4741RO
Presenter: Matthew D. Galsky, M.D.
Rapid Oral: Exploratory analysis of molecular subtypes and association with treatment outcomes in patients (pts) with muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) from NIAGARA

October 24, 2026, 12:00 CET | Abstract 574P
Presenter: Adrianne L. Rolfes, M.D.
Poster: Neoadjuvant anti-PD1 without chemotherapy in early-stage luminal B breast cancer

October 24, 2026, 12:00 CET | Abstract 583P
Presenter: Teck Long King
Poster: ≥4 positive nodes identify a population enriched for ctDNA-guided adjuvant treatment escalation in ER+/HER2- early breast cancer

October 25, 2026, 12:00 CET | Abstract 808P
Presenter: Vicente Alonso-Orduna, M.D.
Poster: ctDNA negativity influences adjuvant treatment decisions: a paired counterfactual analysis from the SAGITTARIUS trial

October 25, 2026 | Abstract 870eP
Presenter: Carlo Federici, Ph.D.
e-Poster: Cost-effectiveness of a dynamic ctDNA-guided adjuvant strategy in stage II-III colon cancer, A SAGITTARIUS model-based analysis

October 25, 2026, 12:00 CET | Abstract 810P
Presenter: Stefano Tamberi, M.D., Ph.D.
Poster: ctDNA-guided adjuvant trials may miss the molecular residual disease (MRD) window: evidence of early attrition during trial allocation

October 25, 2026, 12:00 CET | Abstract 820P
Presenter: Benjamin Weinberg, M.D.
Poster: Leronlimab (LRM) in combination with trifluridine/tipiracil (TAS-102) plus bevacizumab (BEV) in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC): The phase 2 CLOVER study

October 25, 2026, 12:00 CET | Abstract 3542P
Presenter: Torben Van Zijp
Poster: Organ preservation in rectal cancer after neoadjuvant radiotherapy, bevacizumab and atezolizumab: Translational analysis from the TARZAN study

October 25, 2026, 12:00 CET | Abstract 2901P
Presenter: Marco Gerlinger, M.D., FRCP
Poster: Clinical performance of the Signatera Genome assay in patients with localized gastroesophageal adenocarcinomas (GEA) treated with peri-operative FLOT and immunotherapy: ICONIC trial

October 26, 2026, 10:15 CET | Abstract 1770RO
Presenter: Kazuki Nozawa, M.D.
Rapid Oral: Ultra-sensitive MRD assessment in long-term complete responders to anti-HER2 therapy in HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer: Initial results from HER2-CR study

October 26, 2026, 10:15 CET | Abstract LBA62
Presenter: Jonathan Spicer, M.D., Ph.D.
Rapid Oral: ctDNA clearance (CL) during neoadjuvant treatment (neoadj Tx) and its association with outcomes in patients (pts) with resectable/borderline resectable stage IIB–IIIB NSCLC from MDT-BRIDGE

(Press release, Natera, OCT 18, 2026, View Source [SID1234673544])