The Registry Study of Genetic Alterations of Melanoma in Taiwan

Condition(s) studied

Study summary

Cutaneous melanoma is the most aggressive malignancy in skin cancers. Cutaneous melanoma is a rare disease in Taiwan with an incidence rate of around 1/100,000. Acral lentiginous melanoma is the most common subtype and comprises more than half of cutaneous melanoma in Asia including Taiwan but only 1% in Caucasians. In addition, mucosal melanoma accounts for more than 20% of malignancy melanoma in Taiwan but only 1% in Caucasians. Acral and mucosal melanomas have distinct epidemiological, clinical, pathological and genetic features from non-acral melanoma which is commonly seen in Western countries. Comparing with melanoma in Caucasians, Asian melanoma has higher recurrence rate after primary surgery, lower response rate to immunotherapy, and shorter progression-free survival for immunotherapy and targeted therapy leading generally poor survival outcomes regardless stage.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• To evaluate the evolution of acral melanoma patients in Taiwan. — Duration of Enrollment: 2022/10-2025/12
  1. Collecting the tissues from melanoma patients for NGS studies, One H\&E staining slide, and 10 tissue slides (4-5 um thickness) for cancer panel-based next generation sequencing analysis, including fusion panel (10 slides) will be required (first priority). 2. Non-tumor Sample (Blood): Fifteen (15) ml of blood will be collected from the participant: 7 ml in EDTA tube (purple top) and 8 ml in Cell-Free DNA blood collection tube. These blood samples will be separated into peripheral blood mononuclear cells and plasma specimens for germline mutation analysis and potential biomarker study, respectively. 3. Non-tumor Sample (Stool for microbiota):Collecting stool specimens before systemic treatment (for prospective cohort), 2-3 months after initiating targeted therapy or immunotherapy. IHC staining for specific biomarkers such as MDM2 and HER2 will be evaluated.

Trial sites (16)

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