Abstract
Over the past two decades, significant progress has been made in the study of minimal residual disease (MRD) in patients with solid tumors. Increasing evidence supports that monitoring and quantifying MRD can provide prognostic insights and enable personalized treatment strategies for patients who achieve complete remission. Although MRD is gradually being integrated into the clinical management of solid tumors, several challenges remain unresolved. This review combines bibliometric analysis with advances in cutting-edge technologies to examine the evolving landscape of MRD, emphasizing its alignment with the predictive, preventive, and personalized medicine (PPPM/3PM) paradigm. By synthesizing research trends, key challenges, and innovative approaches, we highlight the predictive value of MRD for relapse risk, its preventive role in early intervention, and its potential to guide real-time personalized therapies. We advocate for the standardization and integration of MRD monitoring into routine clinical oncology practice, reinforced by expert recommendations grounded in 3PM principles. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13167-025-00413-8.