Researchers at NYU Langone Health and its Perlmutter Cancer Center have revealed that blood tests could predict the return of skin cancer.
Melanoma is a less common form of skin cancer that is more dangerous than other varieties, according to the American Cancer Society.
This is because it’s much more likely to spread to other parts of the body if not found and treated early.
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The new cancer research, published in The Lancet Oncology journal, examined the levels of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) found in cancer patients' blood.
Approximately 80% of stage 3 melanoma patients who had detectable levels of ctDNA (before they started treatment) went on to experience a return of the cancer later, according to a press release from NYU Langone.
Stage 3 melanoma – one of the most aggressive forms of skin cancer – occurs when the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes.
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The lymph nodes can be surgically removed, but once they’re gone, that makes it harder to monitor for cancer using traditional methods such as X-rays and CT scans, researchers noted.
That challenge has sparked interest in finding new ways to detect cancer activity sooner.
"Our findings suggest that circulating tumor DNA tests could help oncologists identify which melanoma patients are most likely to respond well to therapy," said lead author Mahrukh Syeda in the release.
Early detection of the disease’s return through ctDNA analysis could save lives, according to Syeda, as this type of cancer is notoriously difficult to treat once it has spread.
The study analyzed results from nearly 600 men and women who participated in an earlier clinical trial. Researchers used blood samples to compare ctDNA presence and evidence of cancer returning.
The team accounted for other factors like sex, age, and type of therapy used to combat the cancer.
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Almost all patients who had detectable levels of ctDNA within one year of treatment experienced a return of melanoma.
"The ctDNA method works by focusing on the most common mutations in the genetic code in melanoma cells," according to the release.
Assessing ctDNA levels was as good or better at predicting recurrence than other tests that involve examining the tumor itself, the researchers found.
"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," said senior author and dermatologist David Polsky in the press release.
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In some cases, however, the cancer still returned even though patients had negative ctDNA tests before starting therapy.
Researchers plan to improve the sensitivity of the tests in the next study in hopes of reducing cases like these.
Dr. Joshua Strauss, an attending hematologist and medical oncologist at Advanced Care Oncology and Hematology Associates of the Atlantic Medical Group in Morristown, New Jersey, applauded the research.
"This is another in a line of studies touting the powerful technologies that are now able to detect tumor DNA circulating in the blood in various tumor types," he told Fox News Digital.
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"It is clear from this paper and others that persistent circulating tumor DNA after a curative surgery is a poor prognostic sign, suggesting a high risk for early recurrence," Strauss went on.
The next step in the evolution of this technology, according to the oncologist, will be to use this information "not just in a prognostic way, but in a predictive way to help guide management choices."
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