TY - JOUR T1 - Assessment of BRAF Mutations via Circulating Tumor DNA in Routine Clinical Management of Advanced Melanoma A1 - M. Jensen A1 - L. Nielsen A1 - K. Hansen JF - Asian Journal of Current Research in Clinical Cancer JO - Asian J Curr Res Clin Cancer SN - 3062-4444 Y1 - 2023 VL - 3 IS - 1 DO - 10.51847/4Q0PqDCgPI SP - 77 EP - 83 N2 - Identifying BRAF mutations is crucial for managing advanced melanoma in treatment-naïve patients. When tumor tissue is unavailable or inadequate, liquid biopsy represents a promising alternative. This retrospective, single-center study evaluated the effectiveness of plasma circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in detecting BRAF mutations and assessed patient outcomes following BRAF/MEK inhibitor therapy initiated based on ctDNA results. A total of 46 patients (21 women, 25 men) with advanced melanoma underwent ctDNA analysis. Mutations in BRAF were observed in 45.7% (21/46) of liquid biopsy samples and 44.8% (13/29) of available tissue samples. Among patients with both tissue and ctDNA data (n = 29), the two approaches agreed in 82.8% of cases. In 7 out of 17 patients assessed exclusively via ctDNA, BRAF mutations were detected. Eighteen patients received BRAF/MEK inhibitor therapy guided by liquid biopsy findings, achieving an objective response rate of 77.8% and a median progression-free survival of 6.0 months. These results demonstrate that plasma ctDNA is a reliable tool for BRAF mutation detection and that targeted therapy can be initiated based on liquid biopsy in real-world clinical practice. UR - https://galaxypub.co/article/assessment-of-braf-mutations-via-circulating-tumor-dna-in-routine-clinical-management-of-advanced-me-gs7ewsygiebfjwp ER -