Survival based on BRAF detection in combined tissue and liquid biopsy in melanoma

Liquid biopsy provides a suitable option with progressively improved sensitivity and specificity to complement or to substitute the information obtained by regular biopsy. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are emerging as powerful tools for providing information about the tumor and its microenvironment. The present study compares the information provided by tissue and EV-based liquid biopsy for the determination of BRAF status (BRAFV600E mutation or BRAF wild type) and analyzes their prognostic capacity. This data set suggests that combination of information from liquid and tissue biopsy regarding BRAF status in melanoma patients identifies the presence of BRAF mutation as a negative prognostic factor for short term survival in melanoma patients whereas individual analyses fail to stratify patients according their survival.