Melanoma diagnosis in hours with new test

Source: 949 Power FM, November 2016

Advanced melanoma patients will be able to get a diagnosis of how far along their cancer is within hours, not weeks, thanks to a new blood test.

The “liquid biopsy" blood test was pioneered in Victoria by the Melbourne Melanoma Project and has saved lives by telling doctors almost instantaneously what melanoma mutations exist in a patient’s DNA.

That information is then used to treat them with targeted medication for that strain of melanoma.

Normally surgical biopsies can take up to three weeks to give doctors that information.