MRA Meet-Up Series: Understanding MRD Testing in Melanoma – What Patients Need to Know

On September 18^th, MRA hosted another installment of our patient-focused Meet-Up webinar series called “Understanding MRD Testing in Melanoma – What Patients Need to Know.” This patient-friendly discussion provided an introduction to MRD testing, explored how these tools may help guide care and surveillance, and discussed what melanoma patients should know about the Signatera™ personalized MRD test.

The webinar featured Dr. George Ansstas, Medical Oncologist and Neuro-Oncologist at Washington University in St. Louis; Casey Stock, Senior Director of Sustainability and Operations at Natera and herself a patient advocate; and Eileen Hoffman, Senior Medical Science Liaison for Cutaneous Cancers and Sarcomas at Natera.

The session kicked off with an overview of Molecular Residual Disease (MRD) testing, which is a highly sensitive “liquid biopsy” that analyzes blood for microscopic traces of tumor DNA. As explained by Dr. Ansstas, MRD testing is a powerful tool in detecting circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in patients before standard scans. It also helps doctors to track treatment effectiveness and potentially identify signs of recurrence.

The conversation also touched on how patients have responded to this testing tool. Casey Stock, who is both a melanoma survivor and patient advocate, provided a personal perspective on the importance of MRD testing in alleviating patient panic and anxiety:

This webinar also highlighted:

• The use of MRD testing in various clinical trial scenarios
• The potential use of ctDNA in rare melanoma subtypes (acral and uveal melanoma)
• False positives in MRD testing and how it is addressed by doctors and physicians 
• Patient logistics and insurance guidelines regarding Signatera™ testing

This webinar offered an insightful opportunity for the melanoma community to better understand the MRD testing as a potential personalized patient care option to effectively monitor and detect melanoma.

MRA is grateful to Natera for sponsoring this webinar.

Watch the full recording:

To learn more about Time-of-Day Specified Immunotherapy for Advanced Melanoma, The TIME Trial see this page at ClinicalTrials.gov.