Early evolution of BRAFV600 status in the blood of melanoma patients correlates with clinical outcome and identifies patients refractory to therapy

Serial analysis of BRAF mutations in circulating-free DNA (cfDNA) could be of prognostic value in melanoma patients. We collected blood samples from 63 advanced BRAFV600E/K melanoma patients and determined BRAFV600E/K status in cfDNA using a quantitative 5′-nuclease PCR-based assay. Levels of BRAF mutation in pre-cfDNAs were associated significantly with tumour burden, progression-free survival and overall survival. Changes in BRAF status in cfDNA after initiation of treatment (early-cfDNA) had a significant correlation with outcome. In patients with persistent BRAF mutations (n=12), progression-free survival and overall survival were 3.5 months [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.6–4.6] and 5.3 months (95% CI: 3.4–8.1) compared with 16.6 months (95% CI: 8.2–22.3) and 21.9 months (95% CI: 10.2–NR) in patients with BRAF negativization (n=16), and 15.1 months (95% CI: 2.3–NR) and NR (95% CI: 5.1–NR) in patients who maintained their initial negative status (n=12) (P

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