Inherited Genetic Marker Discovered That May Predict Melanoma Disease Course and Survival

Source: Scicasts, January 2016

New York, NY (Scicasts) — Melanoma is the most dangerous and lethal form of skin cancer. But just how long will a patient survive following the removal of a melanoma tumour?

A more definitive answer to that question could come from new studies at NYU Langone Medical Center and its Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center. Researchers there have discovered an inherited genetic marker that might provide clinicians with a personalized tool to gauge an individual’s survival and determine which patients require closer monitoring in the years following surgery.

The study, reported online in the journal Clinical Cancer Research, is one of the first to provide strong evidence for the use of genetic markers to improve melanoma prognostication, complementing currently available tools used in clinical practice.

“There are gene variants that we inherit from our parents that don’t increase our susceptibility to developing melanoma, but once the diseases strikes, they can alter outcome " says senior author Dr. Tomas Kirchhoff, Assistant Professor in the Department of Population Health at NYU Langone and a member of the Perlmutter Cancer Center.