Genetic testing can detect melanoma earlier, but tailored approach is required

Source: Healio, April 2019

Genetic testing can help increase early detection of melanoma among patients and their family members, according to a presenter at HemOnc Today New York.

However, the approaches toward genetic testing and counseling must be tailored depending on the cancers observed in a particular family.

“Knowledge is power, and this is about knowing genetic background,” Sancy Leachman, MD, PhD, professor and chair of the department of dermatology and director of the melanoma research program at Knight Cancer Institute at Oregon Health & Science University, said during her presentation. “This isn’t testing of the tumor, this is genetic testing of the individual to see if they are predisposed.”