United States: The development of a new blood test enables medical experts to forecast whether melanoma survivors will experience additional skin cancer episodes, according to researcher findings.
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The test searches for loose tumor DNA particles, which are released when tumors develop into blood circulation.
The April 15 Lancet Oncology release announced that 80% of stage 2 melanoma patients discovered through DNA fragment detection would have their skin cancer return after treatment.
This group showed a return of skin cancer at a rate 4.5 times greater compared to the patients with no detectable DNA fragments, according to researcher findings.
The speed of cancer recurrence increased directly with higher DNA fragment levels, according to research outcomes.
According to the lead investigator Mahrukh Syeda, “Our findings suggest that circulating tumor DNA tests could help oncologists identify which melanoma patients are most likely to respond well to therapy,” US News reported.
As a research scientist in dermatology for NYU Grossman School of Medicine’s New York City campus, Syeda conducts her studies in the dermatology department.
“In the future, such assessments may be used routinely in the clinic to help guide treatment decisions,” as Syeda stated.
How did the experts analyze it?
A research team analyzed blood samples from almost 600 men and women who participated in the earlier clinical study for advanced melanoma.
At stage 3 of cancer development, tumor cells spread away from the skin and reach adjoining lymph nodes. Researchers stated that measuring lymph node removal as part of cancer treatment remains challenging because doctors struggle to identify when tumors will reappear.
Blood tests that detected skin cancer DNA fragments proved successful in predicting the likelihood of cancer return in patients.
Scientific studies revealed that cancer patients with detectable DNA fragments throughout their therapy, extending from months three to twelve post-treatment, showed increased risks of melanoma recurrence.
Research showed that DNA fragments discovered in blood tests during treatments could serve as an indication of deteriorating cancer conditions for patients, according to investigators.
Research findings establish the blood test as being equally effective or superior to other experimental methods that analyze cancer cell immune activity in predicting skin cancer relapses.
Furthermore, as the senior researcher Dr. David Polsky, a professor of dermatologic oncology at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, noted, “Unlike standard, tissue-based analyses of tumor cells, which can only suggest the likelihood of recurrence, circulating tumor DNA tests provide a clear, direct measure of the disease itself and can tell us outright that melanoma has returned,” US News reported.