該小組的研究發(fā)現(xiàn)黑色素瘤和非黑色素瘤性病變有22個(gè)基因甲基化水平顯著不同，以及有12個(gè)點(diǎn)可以高度預(yù)測(cè)惡性黑色素瘤。對(duì)于托馬斯來說，團(tuán)隊(duì)的另一個(gè)目標(biāo)是建立一個(gè)黑色素瘤腫瘤細(xì)胞DNA的脫落進(jìn)入血液試驗(yàn)，并可以作為測(cè)量疾病DNA甲基化的依據(jù)。
　　“如果這測(cè)試可以發(fā)展起來的,它將開啟早期診斷和治療復(fù)發(fā)腫瘤的大門，腫瘤剛發(fā)生時(shí)更容易治療，這也給我們提供了另一種方式，以監(jiān)測(cè)患者對(duì)治療的反應(yīng)，并幫助我們更好地優(yōu)化處理每一個(gè)病人，“托馬斯說。
　　這項(xiàng)研究是由美國(guó)國(guó)家癌癥研究所和一個(gè)UNC萊恩伯格試點(diǎn)格蘭特贊助。
　　愛愛醫(yī)推薦原文閱讀：
　　A new study shows that a test of biomarkers for DNA methylation is technically feasible and could aid in earlier, more precise diagnosis of melanoma.
　　In a paper that recently appeared online in the journal Pigment Cell & Melanoma Research, a team of UNC researchers tested whether DNA methylation profiling could be accomplished on melanoma and mole tissues that had been preserved in fixatives for typical pathology examination after biopsy. They found that results on tissues prepared in this way were reliable and DNA methylation distinguished malignant melanomas from non-malignant moles.