Resumen
The choice of cancer drug(s) for the treatment of advanced melanoma is based on the types of gene alterations that are present in the patient?s tumor(s). Sometimes, the tumor sample that is obtained from surgery may be degraded, and the test does not provide a reliable result, leading to the selection of the wrong treatment, and, consequently, poor outcomes for the patient. Surgery to obtain fresh tumor samples is inconvenient. In recent years, scientists have learned that fragments of genes from dying cells, including tumors, are constantly being released into the blood. This study shows that the presence of altered genes can be reliably determined using easy-to-obtain blood samples. The study also shows that, while there is a small rate of error with the commonly used tests based on the tumor tissue sample, retests using blood samples may be a less invasive and rapid alternative for identifying the BRAF mutation status and selecting the right treatment for these patients.