该小组的研究发现黑色素瘤和非黑色素瘤性病变有22个基因甲基化水平显著不同，以及有12个点可以高度预测恶性黑色素瘤。对于托马斯来说，团队的另一个目标是建立一个黑色素瘤肿瘤细胞DNA的脱落进入血液试验，并可以作为测量疾病DNA甲基化的依据。
　　“如果这测试可以发展起来的,它将开启早期诊断和治疗复发肿瘤的大门，肿瘤刚发生时更容易治疗，这也给我们提供了另一种方式，以监测患者对治疗的反应，并帮助我们更好地优化处理每一个病人，“托马斯说。
　　这项研究是由美国国家癌症研究所和一个UNC莱恩伯格试点格兰特赞助。
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　　A new study shows that a test of biomarkers for DNA methylation is technically feasible and could aid in earlier, more precise diagnosis of melanoma.
　　In a paper that recently appeared online in the journal Pigment Cell & Melanoma Research, a team of UNC researchers tested whether DNA methylation profiling could be accomplished on melanoma and mole tissues that had been preserved in fixatives for typical pathology examination after biopsy. They found that results on tissues prepared in this way were reliable and DNA methylation distinguished malignant melanomas from non-malignant moles.