A trial of a blood test to monitor for early signs of melanoma coming back (DETECTION)

Surgery is the usual treatment for melanoma that hasn’t spread. It gets rid of the cancer in most people. But sometimes it comes back or spreads elsewhere in the body. So researchers are looking for ways to treat people before this happens. 

The trial team have developed a blood test to look for cancer cells in the blood even if a scan  looks normal. This blood test aims to pick up DNA in the blood from cancer cells. This is called circulating tumour DNA or ctDNA .

We know from research that people who have ctDNA in their blood have a higher chance of the cancer coming back. You usually only have treatment if a scan shows that this has happened. Doctors think that having treatment earlier if you have ctDNA in your blood could help. But they aren’t sure so want to find out more. 

In this trial you have regular ctDNA blood tests after surgery. You then have one of the following if the team find cancer cells in the blood:

• continue with regular ctDNA blood tests, routine scans and check ups
• nivolumab

Nivolumab is an immunotherapy. It is already a treatment for melanoma that has spread. It helps the immune system  to find and kill cancer cells. 

The main aims of the trial were to find out:

• how well the ctDNA blood test works to find cancer cells
• if ctDNA picks up that the melanoma is coming back earlier than scans
• if having nivolumab works for people who have ctDNA detected in their blood, prevents the cancer from coming back and improves how long they live