Promising and Minimally Invasive Biomarkers: Targeting Melanoma

doi:10.3390/cells13010019

Review

. 2023 Dec 20;13(1):19.

doi: 10.3390/cells13010019.

Promising and Minimally Invasive Biomarkers: Targeting Melanoma

Pavlina Spiliopoulou^{1

2}, Carlos Diego Holanda Lopes³, Anna Spreafico¹

Affiliations

¹ Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 2C1, Canada.
² School of Cancer Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G61 1BD, UK.
³ Oncology Centre, Hospital Sírio-Libanês, São Paulo 05001-100, Brazil.

PMID: 38201222
PMCID: PMC10777980
DOI: 10.3390/cells13010019

Review

Promising and Minimally Invasive Biomarkers: Targeting Melanoma

Pavlina Spiliopoulou et al. Cells. 2023.

. 2023 Dec 20;13(1):19.

doi: 10.3390/cells13010019.

Authors

Pavlina Spiliopoulou^{1

2}, Carlos Diego Holanda Lopes³, Anna Spreafico¹

Affiliations

¹ Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 2C1, Canada.
² School of Cancer Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G61 1BD, UK.
³ Oncology Centre, Hospital Sírio-Libanês, São Paulo 05001-100, Brazil.

PMID: 38201222
PMCID: PMC10777980
DOI: 10.3390/cells13010019

Abstract

The therapeutic landscape of malignant melanoma has been radically reformed in recent years, with novel treatments emerging in both the field of cancer immunotherapy and signalling pathway inhibition. Large-scale tumour genomic characterization has accurately classified malignant melanoma into four different genomic subtypes so far. Despite this, only somatic mutations in BRAF oncogene, as assessed in tumour biopsies, has so far become a validated predictive biomarker of treatment with small molecule inhibitors. The biology of tumour evolution and heterogeneity has uncovered the current limitations associated with decoding genomic drivers based only on a single-site tumour biopsy. There is an urgent need to develop minimally invasive biomarkers that accurately reflect the real-time evolution of melanoma and that allow for streamlined collection, analysis, and interpretation. These will enable us to face challenges with tumour tissue attainment and process and will fulfil the vision of utilizing "liquid biopsy" to guide clinical decisions, in a manner akin to how it is used in the management of haematological malignancies. In this review, we will summarize the most recent published evidence on the role of minimally invasive biomarkers in melanoma, commenting on their future potential to lead to practice-changing discoveries.

Keywords: circulating melanoma cells; circulating tumour DNA; extracellular vesicles; intestinal microbiome; melanoma; minimally invasive biomarkers; predictive; prognostic.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

**Figure 1**
Minimally invasive biomarkers. CTC: circulating tumour cell, ctDNA: circulating tumour DNA. Created with BioRender.com.

**Figure 2**
Overview of non-invasive biomarkers applications in melanoma. NAT: neo-adjuvant treatment. Created with BioRender.com.

See this image and copyright information in PMC

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References

1. Wolchok J.D., Chiarion-Sileni V., Gonzalez R., Grob J.J., Rutkowski P., Lao C.D., Cowey C.L., Schadendorf D., Wagstaff J., Dummer R., et al. Long-Term Outcomes with Nivolumab Plus Ipilimumab or Nivolumab Alone Versus Ipilimumab in Patients with Advanced Melanoma. J. Clin. Oncol. 2022;40:127–137. doi: 10.1200/JCO.21.02229. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
1. Dummer R., Long G.V., Robert C., Tawbi H.A., Flaherty K.T., Ascierto P.A., Nathan P.D., Rutkowski P., Leonov O., Dutriaux C., et al. Randomized Phase III Trial Evaluating Spartalizumab Plus Dabrafenib and Trametinib for BRAF V600–Mutant Unresectable or Metastatic Melanoma. J. Clin. Oncol. 2022;40:1428–1438. doi: 10.1200/JCO.21.01601. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
1. Jakobsen A.K.M., Spindler K.-L.G. ctDNA-Response evaluation criteria in solid tumors—A new measure in medical oncology. Eur. J. Cancer. 2023;180:180–183. doi: 10.1016/j.ejca.2022.11.039. - DOI - PubMed
1. Haslam A., Hey S.P., Gill J., Prasad V. A systematic review of trial-level meta-analyses measuring the strength of association between surrogate end-points and overall survival in oncology. Eur. J. Cancer. 2019;106:196–211. doi: 10.1016/j.ejca.2018.11.012. - DOI - PubMed
1. Borcoman E., Kanjanapan Y., Champiat S., Kato S., Servois V., Kurzrock R., Goel S., Bedard P., Le Tourneau C. Novel patterns of response under immunotherapy. Ann. Oncol. 2019;30:385–396. doi: 10.1093/annonc/mdz003. - DOI - PubMed

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[1] Wolchok J.D., Chiarion-Sileni V., Gonzalez R., Grob J.J., Rutkowski P., Lao C.D., Cowey C.L., Schadendorf D., Wagstaff J., Dummer R., et al. Long-Term Outcomes with Nivolumab Plus Ipilimumab or Nivolumab Alone Versus Ipilimumab in Patients with Advanced Melanoma. J. Clin. Oncol. 2022;40:127–137. doi: 10.1200/JCO.21.02229. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[2] Wolchok J.D., Chiarion-Sileni V., Gonzalez R., Grob J.J., Rutkowski P., Lao C.D., Cowey C.L., Schadendorf D., Wagstaff J., Dummer R., et al. Long-Term Outcomes with Nivolumab Plus Ipilimumab or Nivolumab Alone Versus Ipilimumab in Patients with Advanced Melanoma. J. Clin. Oncol. 2022;40:127–137. doi: 10.1200/JCO.21.02229. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[3] Dummer R., Long G.V., Robert C., Tawbi H.A., Flaherty K.T., Ascierto P.A., Nathan P.D., Rutkowski P., Leonov O., Dutriaux C., et al. Randomized Phase III Trial Evaluating Spartalizumab Plus Dabrafenib and Trametinib for BRAF V600–Mutant Unresectable or Metastatic Melanoma. J. Clin. Oncol. 2022;40:1428–1438. doi: 10.1200/JCO.21.01601. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[4] Dummer R., Long G.V., Robert C., Tawbi H.A., Flaherty K.T., Ascierto P.A., Nathan P.D., Rutkowski P., Leonov O., Dutriaux C., et al. Randomized Phase III Trial Evaluating Spartalizumab Plus Dabrafenib and Trametinib for BRAF V600–Mutant Unresectable or Metastatic Melanoma. J. Clin. Oncol. 2022;40:1428–1438. doi: 10.1200/JCO.21.01601. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[5] Jakobsen A.K.M., Spindler K.-L.G. ctDNA-Response evaluation criteria in solid tumors—A new measure in medical oncology. Eur. J. Cancer. 2023;180:180–183. doi: 10.1016/j.ejca.2022.11.039. - DOI - PubMed

[6] Jakobsen A.K.M., Spindler K.-L.G. ctDNA-Response evaluation criteria in solid tumors—A new measure in medical oncology. Eur. J. Cancer. 2023;180:180–183. doi: 10.1016/j.ejca.2022.11.039. - DOI - PubMed

[7] Haslam A., Hey S.P., Gill J., Prasad V. A systematic review of trial-level meta-analyses measuring the strength of association between surrogate end-points and overall survival in oncology. Eur. J. Cancer. 2019;106:196–211. doi: 10.1016/j.ejca.2018.11.012. - DOI - PubMed

[8] Haslam A., Hey S.P., Gill J., Prasad V. A systematic review of trial-level meta-analyses measuring the strength of association between surrogate end-points and overall survival in oncology. Eur. J. Cancer. 2019;106:196–211. doi: 10.1016/j.ejca.2018.11.012. - DOI - PubMed

[9] Borcoman E., Kanjanapan Y., Champiat S., Kato S., Servois V., Kurzrock R., Goel S., Bedard P., Le Tourneau C. Novel patterns of response under immunotherapy. Ann. Oncol. 2019;30:385–396. doi: 10.1093/annonc/mdz003. - DOI - PubMed

[10] Borcoman E., Kanjanapan Y., Champiat S., Kato S., Servois V., Kurzrock R., Goel S., Bedard P., Le Tourneau C. Novel patterns of response under immunotherapy. Ann. Oncol. 2019;30:385–396. doi: 10.1093/annonc/mdz003. - DOI - PubMed

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Promising and Minimally Invasive Biomarkers: Targeting Melanoma

Affiliations

Promising and Minimally Invasive Biomarkers: Targeting Melanoma

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Conflict of interest statement

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