New Strategies in Melanoma: Molecular Testing in Advanced Disease
Cet article passe en revue les travaux récents suggérant l'intérêt de tests moléculaires pour la prise en charge de patients atteints d'un mélanome avancé
Melanoma is one of the most aggressive forms of skin cancer. The management of melanoma is evolving rapidly due to an improved understanding of the molecular heterogeneity of this disease, and the development of effective, personalized targeted therapy strategies. While previous classification systems have been based predominantly on clinical and histologic criteria, there is now a strong rationale to add molecular markers to the diagnostic evaluation of these tumors. Research has demonstrated that the types and prevalence of genetic alterations varies between melanoma subtypes. Thus, rational molecular testing should be based on an understanding of the events likely to be present in a given tumor, and the clinical implications of testing results. This review summarizes the existing data supporting the rationale for molecular testing in clinically-defined melanoma subtypes. Emerging challenges and controversies in the use of various molecular testing platforms, and the implications of these differences for clinical testing, will also be discussed.
Clinical Cancer Research , résumé, 2012