The gray area of RQ-PCR-based measurable residual disease: subdividing the "positive, below quantitative range" category

Abstract

Detection of measurable residual disease (MRD) in hematological malignancies is crucial for prognostication and treatment decisions. Real-time quantitative PCR (RQ-PCR), which targets immunoglobulin (IG) and T-cell receptor (TR) rearrangements, is deemed the gold-standard method for MRD detection in national and international clinical trials. However, this approach does have some limitations, primarily related to standard curve performance and non-specific background amplification.