New melanoma blood test could speed up detection and save thousands

With skin cancer detected visually by doctors and biopsies taken from patients, scientists are looking for ways to save money, pain and time. with three out of four skin samples returning negative results anyway.

Scientists at Edith Cowan University have now developed the first blood test in the world to detect melanoma in its infancy, an innovation that should save thousands of lives

test was tested on 209 people , 105 with melanoma, and was able to detect early melanoma in 81.5 percent of cases.

It works by detecting antibodies produced by the body in response to melanoma

. different antibodies and identified a combination of 10 that are the most reliable in predicting the presence of melanoma.

The next step is a clinical trial to validate the results. Scientists say the test may be available for clinical use in three years.

Survival rates for melanoma are between 90 and 95 percent if the disease is detected early, but if the cancer spreads, survival rates 50%

Biopsies are uncomfortable for patients and expensive, Australia spends $ 201 million each year, of which $ 73 million is negative.

Melanoma is the fourth most common type of cancer in Australia and it is estimated the disease kills 1500 Australians each year

Professor Sanchia Aranda, executive director of the Cancer Council Australia, said that if the new research was an interesting development, clinical trials in a larger sample were diagnosed. "Population-based screening is unlikely to be cost-effective, so research would be needed to determine which." For the time being, many melanomas are easily detected at the beginning by new spots or moles changes. Therefore, it is important that all Australians keep an eye on their skin and see their doctor immediately if they notice something unusual.

"We should also remember that it is worth always better than cure. Whenever the UV is 3 or more, we must slide, slide, look for shade and slide on sunglasses. "

Professor Rodney Sinclair, professor of dermatology at the University of Melbourne, said that this test was promising.

" A sensitivity of 79% means that it will detect melanoma in 79% affected people but will miss it in 21% of cases, "he said.

" The specificity of 84% means that when the test is positive, 84% of patients will suffer from melanoma, but 16% will not be

"The false positive and false negative rates of this test mean that the results should be interpreted with caution and, if possible, combined with a complete skin check by a dermatologist."