Apr 04, 2014 06:31 PM EDT By Jaleesa Baulkman, UniversityHerald Reporter

Genetic testing may be beneficial in melanoma treatment, according to a recent study.

Researchers from the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, a partner with UPMC Cancer Center, found that genetic screening of cancer may help doctors customize treatments so that patients with melanoma have the best chance of beating it.

"We've reached a point in the treatment of melanoma - and cancer in general - where we're making major improvements in the outcomes of patients through personalized medicine," Ahmad Tarhini, lead investigator and associate professor of medicine and translational science in Pitt's Department of Medicine and Clinical and Translational Science Institute, said in a statement.

Before and after ipilimumab treatment, Tarhini and his colleagues obtained tumor biopsies used to run genetic tests on the tumors of 32 patients with advanced, stage 3 melanoma who were treated by UPMC. All patients were given standard-of-care surgery, which included complete surgical removal of an advanced tumor.

Tarhini said  he has a major interest in the development of tests that will allow doctors to predict which treatment regimen is most likely to help certain patients, "while sparing others the unwanted side effects and cost of medications that are unlikely to work."

They found that patients with tumors that had higher levels of expression of a group of immune-related genes, either before or soon after treatment with ipilimumab, had 63 percent lower risk of cancer recurrence after surgery.

"By validating these findings in a large national trial that also will allow us to investigate other significant biomarker data, we'll seek to develop 'biomarker signatures' that doctors can use to customize melanoma treatment plans," Tarhini said. "The ultimate goals of therapy are to best treat the cancer in an individualized approach, while avoiding the unnecessary exposure of patients to severe side effects."

The trial, funded by the National Institutes of Health, will be presented Monday at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2014.

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