The Signatera™ test looks for the DNA of YOUR cancer in your blood to detect residual or recurrent cancer. They do this by making a lab assay using the tissue specimen from your cancer biopsy or surgical excision. Once they create your personalized test assay, you can have the test done by a simple blood test at any interval that your doctor recommends. Laboratories typically keep pathology tissue specimens for up to 7 years after your diagnosis so this test can be created years after your biopsy or surgery were performed. The Signatera™ test is only for solid tumors (not leukemia type blood cancers).

The Signatera™ measures ctDNA, a type of cell-free DNA that can be detected and measured in the body’s circulatory system. Accurate identification of ctDNA in the body can be used to indicate that there are cancer cells present, even after treatment has been completed. Residual disease detection with Signatera™ is different from traditional uses of ctDNA (for cancer therapy selection and asymptomatic cancer screening), because it uses a personalized genetic test, created by the patient’s own tumor mutation “signature”. This test is usually covered by insurance and for uninsured patients, it may be covered by a research fund through the testing company.