Circulating Tumor DNA (ctDNA) Clearance After Immune Checkpoint Inhibition (ICI) with Radiotherapy (RT) as a Prognostic Biomarker for Advanced Melanoma

Abstract

Simple Summary Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) can prognosticate survival outcomes in melanoma following checkpoint inhibition, but its role in advanced melanoma treated with radiation remains unclear. In this retrospective analysis of 50 patients with advanced-stage melanoma treated with checkpoint inhibition and palliative radiation, patients with clearance of ctDNA after radiation lived significantly longer compared to those with persistently detectable and increasing ctDNA. These findings suggest ctDNA monitoring could serve as a promising prognostic candidate to help stratify survival outcomes in this patient population. However, further prospective studies are needed before ctDNA monitoring can be routinely used to guide clinical decision making, treatment adaptation, or surveillance strategies in this specific group of melanoma patients.