Expanded evidence that the 31-gene expression profile test provides clinical utility for melanoma management in a multicenter study.

When caught early, cancer of the skin can usually be removed, and patients have excellent chances of survival. However, some patients will have their cancer come back or spread to a new location in their body.The 31-gene expression profile (GEP) test measures the expression levels of 31 genes from an individual patient's tumor. A proprietary formula uses this information to identify the risk of recurrence or spread as low risk (Class 1) or high risk (Class 2). Cancers with low-risk 31-GEP scores have a lower chance of cancer recurrence or spread than patients with a high-risk score.In this study, we wanted to determine if doctors treated patients with low-risk scores differently from patients with high-risk scores. We found that doctors changed approximately half of patient treatment plans (doctor visits, lab work, or imaging to see if the cancer has come back) after learning the 31-GEP test results. Doctors usually planned less frequent follow-up visits for Class 1 results and more frequent follow up for Class 2 results.This study found doctors understand and make changes to their treatment plans based on the patient's 31-GEP test result.