Dermatologie (Heidelb). 2025 Jun;76(6):361-364. doi: 10.1007/s00105-025-05506-z. Epub 2025 May 7.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Personalized treatment of melanoma is becoming increasingly more important. Biomarkers offer the possibility of controlling treatment more precisely and reducing side effects.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this text is to provide an overview of current tissue-based, blood-based and radiological biomarkers and their clinical application in melanomas.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: A literature research and analysis of current studies on biomarkers in adjuvant and neoadjuvant treatment of melanomas were carried out and relevant congress contributions were additionally included.

RESULTS: Tissue-based programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression, interferon gamma (IFNγ) signature, gene expression profiles (GEP) and tumor mutational burden (TMB) are of prognostic and predictive relevance. Blood-based circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in the sense of a liquid biopsy should be emphasized as a personalized biomarker for longitudinal tracking during treatment or aftercare. Positron emission tomography computed tomography (PET-CT) and body composition enable an improved assessment of treatment efficiency. There are currently no data from prospective validation studies on these biomarkers; initial data from the NivoMela study are awaited.

CONCLUSION: The combination of tissue-based, blood-based and radiological biomarkers in terms of multiparametric approaches is promising but further prospective validation is needed for broad clinical use. These are currently not comprehensively implemented in the clinical routine in centers or in remuneration procedures.

PMID:40335648 | DOI:10.1007/s00105-025-05506-z

Clin Transl Oncol. 2025 May 10. doi: 10.1007/s12094-025-03947-5. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Pancreatic cancer (PC) remains one of the most lethal malignancies, primarily due to its poor prognosis and late diagnosis. Biomarkers are essential in enhancing diagnostic accuracy, prognostic assessments, and therapeutic strategies, thereby addressing these challenges. Conventional biomarkers, such as CA 19-9, are widely used for monitoring disease progression but have limitations in early detection and specificity, necessitating complementary markers like CEA and MUC1. Emerging genetic biomarkers, including KRAS mutations and TP53 alterations, offer critical insights into tumorigenesis and serve as valuable diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic targets. Epigenetic biomarkers, such as DNA methylation and histone modifications, provide additional molecular layers, with aberrant methylation patterns and dysregulated histone modifications influencing tumor aggressiveness and therapy resistance. RNA-based biomarkers, particularly microRNAs (miRNAs) and long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), play pivotal roles in regulating tumor biology and offer significant diagnostic and therapeutic potential. Protein-based biomarkers, including glycoproteins and cytokines, alongside liquid biopsy components like circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA), exosomes, and circulating tumor cells (CTCs), facilitate real-time disease monitoring and early detection. Personalized therapy is increasingly guided by these biomarkers, which predict responses to chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Despite challenges in biomarker validation and clinical implementation, advancements in multi-omics, artificial intelligence, and collaborative research hold promise for improving patient outcomes and survival rates in PC.

PMID:40348906 | DOI:10.1007/s12094-025-03947-5