Seminar-in-Depth: The Clinician’s Case-Based Guide to Gene Expression Profiling in Skin

In this dynamic session, Harrison Nguyen, MD, and Darrell S. Rigel, MD, MS, walked the audience through the latest in personalized skin cancer management using the 31-GEP test for melanoma and 40-GEP test for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. Through real-world cases, they demonstrated how GEP testing provides powerful, guideline-informed insights—independent of traditional tumor features—to refine prognosis and guide treatment. The 31-GEP test, validated for Stage I–III melanoma, offers a 5-year recurrence risk based on 31 gene expressions, while the 40-GEP test stratifies SCC patients into risk classes that help predict both metastatic potential and the potential benefit from adjuvant radiation. Attendees also learned that patient enthusiasm for this testing is high—90% express a desire for it, and those who receive results, even high-risk ones, report no decision regret. This lecture offered valuable, clinically applicable insights into the evolving role of molecular diagnostics in dermatologic oncology.