researchers develop a blood test to detect melanoma

These are infrequent cancers but they are the most serious: melanomas. These malignant tumors affect the skin cells responsible for producing melanin. According to Dermato Info, the frequency of this type of cancer is multiplied by two every ten years for 50 years.

To be able to treat it, it must be detected early because the cancerous cells can cross the different layers of the skin and reach other organs. Australian researchers from Edith Cowan University have just developed a blood test that can detect melanoma.

10 antibodies that reveal the presence of melanoma

This is a world first, so far no blood test could detect the presence of melanoma. The study gathered 105 people who had melanoma and 104 people to form a control group. In total, the test detected 79% of early-stage melanomas.

"Patients whose melanoma is detected at the early stage have a five-year survival rate of 90 to 99%, if not detected so early, melanoma develops in the body and the rate five-year survival rate drops to 50%, "says Pauline Zaenker, the director of the study. In order to quickly detect people with the disease, the researchers identified 1627 antibodies produced by patients.

Then, they studied which were the best indicators of the presence of melanoma, ten were selected to develop the blood detection tool. Further tests will be conducted over the next three years to confirm these results. If so, it can be used by doctors.

A different treatment according to the stage of cancer

Today, melanoma is detected in a physical examination performed by the doctor. It is usually a suspicious task whose appearance changes, or a mole that is transformed. The dermatologist will first remove the tumor and then perform a second procedure to remove all the parts potentially affected by the cancer cells. If the cancer is detected late and has developed in other parts of the body, targeted therapy and chemotherapy are needed. In France, there would be between 5 and 6,000 new cases each year, most of them involving people over 50 years of age.