Genetic testing for hereditary melanoma: controversial, standard of care, or somewhere between the two?

Eric S. Fowler, MS, CGC,¹ Kami S. Wolfe, MS,¹ Thomas McC. Chesney, MD,² and Lee S. Schwartzberg, MD³

¹Baptist Centers for Cancer Care, ²Pathology Group of the MidSouth, and ³The West Clinic, Memphis, TN

Clinical genetic testing for hereditary melanoma has been available for several years. Germline mutations in the CDKN2A gene are responsible for hereditary melanoma in a sizeable minority of at-risk families. The availability of molecular testing for hereditary melanoma presents a unique challenge in the community oncology setting because clinical research has not yet demonstrated that increased surveillance and prevention strategies have an impact on morbidity and mortality. We present a case study and a brief review of hereditary melanoma, underscoring some of the challenges and uncertainties associated with clinical management and genetic testing of at-risk patients.

Commun Oncol 2006;3:158–161 print e-mail full text 130 kb