The epiMelanoma test enables plasma-based detection of melanoma and prediction of immunotherapy response

Abstract Background: Melanoma is one of the most serious skin cancers worldwide, often progressing without obvious symptoms. Early detection is crucial to enable timely intervention, reducing morbidity and mortality. However, no standardized high-throughput test exists for non-invasive melanoma detection. Methods: This diagnostic study aimed to develop and validate a high-throughput targeted DNA methylation-based test for detecting melanoma in cell-free DNA (cfDNA) from plasma and predicting response to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). A multiplexed next-generation sequencing assay targeting these five melanoma-specific