Detection-2 Feasibility study now open at hospitals across the UK!

Currently, patients with stage 2B, 2C or 3A cutaneous melanoma who have a higher risk of their melanoma returning, are offered the option to have adjuvant drug treatment after they have had their melanoma removed by surgery (resected). Most people with this stage of melanoma will be cured by surgery, however adjuvant treatment can help prevent the melanoma from coming back in some patients who are not cured by surgery.

The adjuvant treatments that may be offered are associated with side effects, some of which can be serious and life-long. Therefore, the Detection-2 study is looking to test a way to know which patients are at higher risk of their melanoma returning so we only treat those who really need it.

Researchers have made a blood test to detect whether melanoma cells are present in the body. The test looks for circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA). A ctDNA test detects the DNA (the building blocks) of cancer cells and if it is shown on blood test results, it means that there are cancer cells in the body.

The Detection-2 study aims to look at patients with stage 2B/2C/3A cutaneous melanoma who have had surgery to remove it and wants to see whether early treatment based on this ctDNA blood test (before any possible returning melanoma is seen on scans) is similar to treating everyone with standard adjuvant treatment. If this works, people who are ctDNA negative (don’t have ctDNA in the blood) will therefore potentially avoid adjuvant treatment and the risks of side effects.

The Detection-2 feasibility study will be open for 1 year in at least 8 centres across the UK. Keep up to date with our Melanoma TrialFinder to know which centres/hospitals are open in real time.

You can also watch this short video which explains further about the Detection-2 study and why this research is important.