Melanoma bank supports prospective research

Source: Dermatology Times, June 2022

Frozen primary tumor samples will allow researchers to track lesions as they evolve and better understand the characteristics and biomarkers that distinguish aggressive melanomas.

Perhaps the most groundbreaking element of the International Melanoma Tissue Bank Consortium (IMTBC), run by the AIM at Melanoma Foundation in Frisco, Texas, is its ability to support prospective research, says an expert. Rather than waiting until patient outcomes are known, she said, this capability could allow researchers to update their understanding of dangerous tumors as they evolve.

“This is basically the only prospective study that is planned to see why different melanomas evolve differently,” Maritza Perez, MD, who is not involved with the project, told Dermatology Times®. “It’s prospective in that researchers are taking frozen tumor samples before they know what is going to happen with the patient.” She is a professor of dermatology at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine in Farmington, Connecticut.

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