Opinion|Videos|March 21, 2025
Utility of Molecular Testing in Skin Cancer Risk Assessment
Author(s)David Cotter, MD, PhD
An expert discusses the qualities of genetic tests that are most important to clinicians seeking precise and reliable results for melanoma diagnosis and prognosis, and reviews the 31-gene expression profile (GEP) test, highlighting its ability to classify melanoma risk into 1A, 1B, 2A, and 2B, with 1A patients showing higher melanoma-specific survival (MSS) and overall survival (OS), while 1B/2A and 2B classifications serve as independent predictors of MSS and OS, noting that patients who underwent 31-GEP testing had lower mortality compared with untested patients.
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Episodes in this series
Video content above is prompted by the following:
- Various gene expression profiles have been studied for the diagnosis of melanoma (such as the 2- or 3-GEP pigmented lesion assay) as well as for melanoma prognosis (including the 31-GEP and 8-GEP tests). Biomarkers, including lactate dehydrogenase and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) have also been investigated in melanoma classification strategies. What qualities of a particular genetic test are most important to clinicians seeking precise and reliable results?
- Discuss the following GEP/biomarker tests for melanoma:
- 31-GEP test
- Classifies risk into 1A, 1B, 2A, or 2B
- 1A patients have a higher MSS and OS compared with 1B/2A and 2B
- 1B/2A and 2B classification were independent predictors of MSS and OS
- Patients who underwent 31-GEP testing had lower MSS mortality and overall mortality when compared with untested patients
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