Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42352524›Full record

ReviewCancers2026

Biomarkers in Melanoma: Updates in Prognosis and Management.

Brett Crosby, Martin Guerra, Alyssa Crosby, Benjamin Linza, Kristel Lourdault, Richard Essner

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Cancers, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Brett CrosbySaint John's Cancer Institute, Providence Health & Services, Division of Surgical Oncology, Borstein Family Melanoma Program, Laboratory of Cutaneous Oncology, Santa Monica, CA 90404, USA.
Martin GuerraSaint John's Cancer Institute, Providence Health & Services, Division of Surgical Oncology, Borstein Family Melanoma Program, Laboratory of Cutaneous Oncology, Santa Monica, CA 90404, USA.
Alyssa CrosbySaint John's Cancer Institute, Providence Health & Services, Division of Surgical Oncology, Borstein Family Melanoma Program, Laboratory of Cutaneous Oncology, Santa Monica, CA 90404, USA.
Benjamin LinzaSaint John's Cancer Institute, Providence Health & Services, Division of Surgical Oncology, Borstein Family Melanoma Program, Laboratory of Cutaneous Oncology, Santa Monica, CA 90404, USA.
Kristel LourdaultSaint John's Cancer Institute, Providence Health & Services, Division of Surgical Oncology, Borstein Family Melanoma Program, Laboratory of Cutaneous Oncology, Santa Monica, CA 90404, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-2875-5918
Richard EssnerSaint John's Cancer Institute, Providence Health & Services, Division of Surgical Oncology, Borstein Family Melanoma Program, Laboratory of Cutaneous Oncology, Santa Monica, CA 90404, USA.

Funding

Borstein Family Foundation NADonald L. Morton Melanoma Research Fund NAJohn Wayne Cancer Foundation NAMelamed Family Foundation NA
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Melanoma incidence rates have also been steadily increasing, emphasizing the need for improved prognostic and diagnostic tools with the goal of enhancing patients' outcomes. Biomarkers in melanoma have emerged as an important component of melanoma management, offering insight into disease progression, tumor biology, and the potential for judging treatment responses. Traditionally, blood and immunohistochemical markers such as lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), S100 calcium-binding protein (S100B), human melanoma black-45 (HMB-45), and SRY-box transcription factor 10 (SOX10) have been widely used in melanoma diagnosis, staging, and monitoring. However, their clinical use has been limited because of their low specificity, especially in patients with early-stage disease. This has led to the development of molecular and genetic biomarkers, including BRAF, NRAS, and KIT mutations, which improved patients' risk stratification and enabled targeted therapies, and gene expression signature assays such as DecisionDx (Castle Biosciences) and SkylineDx (Merlin) that are already used in clinics to help with surgical decisions and to assess patients' prognosis. Other circulating biomarkers, including microRNAs, circulating tumor DNA and circulating tumor cells, have been developed to provide minimally invasive approaches to monitor tumor evolution and detect recurrence. However, none of these new approaches are used in clinics due to their low specificity and/or sensitivity. Additionally, nomograms or predictive models have been created using biomarkers and clinicopathologic data to assess patients' outcomes and survival. While significant progress has been made, the integration of melanoma biomarkers into routine clinical practice remains limited. This review summarizes current advancements in melanoma biomarkers, including traditional serum and immunohistochemical markers, as well as developments in molecular, genetic, circulating, and predictive biomarker approaches.

Indexed as

Biomarkersgene expression signaturesLDHMelanomamiRNANomogramS100B

Identifiers

PMID42352524
PMCPMC13297559

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.