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Updated: Jul 16, 2026
Detection and Isolation of Circulating Melanoma Cells using Photoacoustic Flowmetry
Published on: November 25, 2011
Detection of metastases using circulating tumour DNA in uveal melanoma
Aaron B Beasley1,2, Daniël P de Bruyn3,4,5, Leslie Calapre6,7
1School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA, Australia. a.beasley@ecu.edu.au.
Background:
Approximately 50% of uveal melanoma (UM) patients will develop metastatic disease depending on the genetic features of the primary tumour. Patients need 3-12 monthly scans, depending on their prognosis, which is costly and often non-specific. Circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) quantification could serve as a test to detect and monitor patients for early signs of metastasis and therapeutic response.
Methods:
We assessed ctDNA as a biomarker in three distinct UM cohorts using droplet-digital PCR: (A) a retrospective analysis of primary UM patients to predict metastases; (B) a prospective analysis of UM patients after resolution of their primary tumour for early detection of metastases; and (C) monitoring treatment response in metastatic UM patients.
Results:
Cohort A: ctDNA levels were not associated with the development of metastases. Cohort B: ctDNA was detected in 17/25 (68%) with radiological diagnosis of metastases. ctDNA was the strongest predictor of overall survival in a multivariate analysis (HR = 15.8, 95% CI 1.7-151.2, p = 0.017). Cohort C: ctDNA monitoring of patients undergoing immunotherapy revealed a reduction in the levels of ctDNA in patients with combination immunotherapy.
Conclusions:
Our proof-of-concept study shows the biomarker feasibility potential of ctDNA monitoring in for the clinical management of uveal melanoma patients.
