A simple blood test can predict the return of skin cancer

A simple blood test on skin cancer patients can now help doctors predict the chance of getting skin cancer again after many years when symptoms appear.

These findings could pave the way for identifying patients who are at risk of skin cancer, thus creating a premise to find new, effective immune treatments.

The study was conducted by researchers at the British Cancer Research Institute and the Christie NHS Foundation, which studied blood samples taken after surgery of 161 stage and 3 malignant melanoma patients.

They then searched for errors in two genes involving 70 percent of melanoma skin cancers - BRAF and NRAS.

After 5 years, 33% of patients tested positive for the faults of one of the two genes that are still alive, compared to 65% of those who do not have errors in the gene.

The results also show that skin cancer is more likely to return within one year of surgery in patients with errors in either of these regulatory genes.

The main author, Richard Marais from Manchester University said: "For some malignant patients with progressive cancer, their cancer will return."

Marais said: "If we can use this tumor DNA test to predict exactly whether the cancer will return or not, it will certainly be a premise that can help doctors decide. Those patients can benefit from new immunotherapy in a timely manner before the cancer comes back. '

In addition, this treatment may reduce the risk of cancer spreading.

This research appears in the journal Annals of Oncology.

See more:

1. If you don't want cancer to knock on the door, don't forget to apply sunscreen to your eyelids!
2. Instructions on how to read blood test results
3. Artificial intelligence can help detect melanoma skin cancer