UK scientists have created a blood test that reveals exactly how active a patient’s skin cancer is – so medics can pinpoint the best time to target it. By carefully monitoring the level of cancer activity in the blood, doctors can identify the best time to start and stop the drugs – as treatment breaks can prevent cancer cells becoming resistant to drugs and help reduce side effects.

The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, and the Cancer Research UK National Biomarker Centre in Manchester, hope this experimental blood test could help people with stage 4 melanoma live longer. Their ground-breaking DyNAMIc trial looks for tiny fragments of DNA coming from the cancer, which can be found in the patient’s blood.

Trial lead Dr Rebecca Lee, consultant oncologist and clinician scientist at The Christie, told the Daily Express: “Cancer treated with targeted therapy can be thought of as two armies of cells; those that are sensitive to the treatment and those that are resistant, which fight for nutrients in order to grow.

“A patient does not want either cell army to win as that means their cancer will get worse. Although the targeted therapy can kill the sensitive cells, over time the resistant ones grow through.

“However, if treatment breaks are given, it is thought that the growth of these resistant cells can be suppressed by the sensitive cells.

“This blood test enables us to develop a new approach to overcome resistance to targeted therapy treatment. The DyNAMIc trial is really at the forefront of precision medicine.

“We can adapt the treatment in response to the patient’s melanoma activity levels in real-time and therefore reduce the chance of the cancer becoming resistant in the long term.

“This could be a real game-changer in how we treat melanoma and other patients with cancer undergoing similar treatments in the future.”

Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that originates in melanocytes, the cells that produce melanin, the pigment that gives skin its colour.

It is the most dangerous type of skin cancer because of its ability to spread to other parts of the body.

Professor Paul Lorigan, consultant oncologist at The Christie and chief investigator for the DyNAMIc trial said: “Evaluating new biomarker in clinical trials such as DyNAMIc allows us to personalise treatment decisions and continue to improve outcomes for patients with melanoma and other cancers.

“The close collaboration between The Christie and the National Biomarker Centre has allowed us to take this from concept to clinical trial.

“The study is now open in ten centres in the UK, led by the Manchester team. This would not be possible without support from the patients and their families, The Christie and The Christie Charity, Jon Moulton Charity Trust, Cancer Research UK and many other colleagues.”

Dr Dominic Rothwell, the Deputy Director of the Cancer Research UK National Biomarker Centre and one of the team who helped develop the test said: “The DyNAMIc trial is a great example of how cutting-edge research, funded by the Jon Moulton Charity Trust and CRUK can lead to the development of exciting new tests and how, in close collaboration with our clinical colleagues, these tests can be transferred to the clinic and lead to the potential improvement of treatments for cancer patients.”

The DyNAMIc study is open for recruitment with the aim of recruiting 40 participants. The trial is funded by the Jon Moulton Charity Trust, sponsored by The Christie and run by the Liverpool Clinical Trials Centre.

According to Cancer Research UK, new treatments for melanoma have improved outcomes in recent years. Around half of people with stage 4 melanoma can now survive for 10 years or more.

Dr Rebecca Lee is a senior lecturer in Medical Oncology at The University of Manchester and her post at The Christie is funded by Wellcome.

Any patients interested in taking part in clinical trials should discuss this option with their consultant or GP. Not all patients will fit the criteria for a specific trial.

While clinical trials can be successful for some patients, outcomes can vary from case to case. More information about taking part in clinical trials can be found here.