Gene Expression Profiling and Other Molecular Tests Utilized for Melanoma and Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Gene Expression Profiling and Other Molecular Tests Utilized for Melanoma and Squamous Cell Carcinoma

An expert discusses the detection of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) prior to surgery, noting higher detection rates in stage III patients compared with stage IIB/C patients, and its significant association with a greater number of involved lymph nodes, extracapsular extension, and clinically evident disease, while also highlighting that all 6 patients with ctDNA detected during the surveillance period developed recurrent melanoma. The expert also…

Now, a study by the Melanoma Group of the National Center for Oncological Research (CNIO), led by Marisol Soengas, has discovered a mechanism by which melanomas and other aggressive tumors prevent the immune system from recognizing them and attacking them, as might be expected. The study also helps to understand why when melanoma spreads to other organs, resulting in metastases, it often develops resistance to conventional immunotherapy. The wor…