{
  "abstract": "Background Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) are both considered potential biomarkers for melanoma progression. However, the relationship between these two biomarkers in distinguishing disease severity and stage remains unclear. This study compares ctDNA and LDH levels between early-stage (Stages 1-3) and late-stage (Stage 4) melanoma patients to assess their utility as markers of disease progression.Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of 43 patients diagnosed with melanoma. A total of 6 patients were removed due to unclear initial staging, and 10 patients were excluded for lack of ctDNA data. Patients were grouped by stage at diagnosis (Stages 1-3 vs. Stage 4) and compared using appropriate bivariate statistical tests, including t-tests and Mann-Whitney tests. These were used to compare the initial ctDNA levels and LDH. Data was sourced from our electronic medical record and Signatera™ assay to obtain the primary endpoints. Marker values were treated as continuous variables in these analyses. All analyses were executed in GraphPad Prism software.Results The median LDH levels were 240 (IQR = 77.8) in patients with Stage 1-3 melanoma, compared to 188 (IQR = 62.1) in patients with Stage 4 melanoma (p = 0.12). The mean ctDNA levels were 568 (SD = 1521) for Stage 1-3 patients and 308 (SD = 1089) for Stage 4 patients (p = 0.3). While ctDNA and LDH did not show statistically significant differences between groups, it is noteworthy that one patient with Stage 3 had markedly elevated ctDNA levels of 3900, while the next highest was 75, and four patients with Stage 4 melanoma had ctDNA levels above 250.Conclusions Our findings suggest that while both ctDNA and LDH are potential biomarkers for melanoma progression, neither demonstrated statistically significant differences between Stage 1-3 and Stage 4 patients. However, the elevated ctDNA levels in late-stage patients highlight the potential for ctDNA as a more sensitive marker of disease progression. Further studies are needed to explore ctDNA’s role in monitoring melanoma severity.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Creighton University School of Medicine- Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ, USA"
      ],
      "name": "Connor D Yost"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Creighton University School of Medicine- Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ, USA"
      ],
      "name": "Nikita Tripathi"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Creighton University School of Medicine- Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ, USA"
      ],
      "name": "Esai D Ponce"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Creighton University School of Medicine- Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ, USA"
      ],
      "name": "Diana Zamora"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Creighton University School of Medicine- Phoenix, Phoenix, AZ, USA"
      ],
      "name": "Miguel Gonzalez"
    }
  ],
  "title": "45 Comparison of ctDNA and hematologic ratios as markers of disease progression in early versus late-stage melanoma: a single-center retrospective study",
  "uid": "049d17bd-6da1-5f13-a834-4f74afc59e45"
}