Melanoma Subsets May Affect Future Classification and Treatment

Subsets of melanoma can be classified at the molecular level based on their mutations, according to Martin Charles Mihm Jr, MD, who had spoken at the American Academy of Dermatology Summer Meeting this past weekend. These melanoma subsets may affect future classification and treatment of the disease.

The new development comes from findings associated with current human genome analysis and may affect molecular tests currently used to diagnose melanoma, such as comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH).
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Changes in the American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system, which will take effect in 2018, may also impact how certain cancers are diagnosed. Specifically, the changes include new definitions for T1, T1a, and T1b classifications, as well as a separate classification of M4 for brain cancers.

“That is a new approach,” Dr Mihm said. “There are some other important aspects in the new staging. Mitoses are no longer used in staging. It is not that they are not to be counted, but they are not used in the staging of melanoma.”

—Christina Vogt

Reference:

Molecular advances affect melanoma classification, treatment [press release]. New York, NY. American Academy of Dermatology. https://aadmeetingnews.org/2017-summer-meeting-dailies/molecular-advances-affect-melanoma-classification-treatment/. Accessed on July 31, 2017.