Source: AJMC, May 2025
Key Takeaways
- Flow cytometry effectively detects CTCs in melanoma patients, offering a rapid, cost-effective alternative to molecular biology.
- CTCs are present across all melanoma stages, with a significant correlation between CTC burden and disease stage.
- No correlation was found between CTC count and traditional prognostic factors like Breslow thickness or ulceration.
- Further research with larger patient cohorts and longer follow-up is needed to assess CTCs’ prognostic value.
Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are a reliable marker of disease progression in melanoma and can reliably be detected using flow cytometry, suggests a small study of patients with the skin disease.