You have been diagnosed with melanoma, what now?
Ask your doctor if the Merlin Test is right for you.
The Merlin Test is covered by Medicare, and SkylineDx offers financial support programs to help minimize or eliminate out-of-pocket costs for patients.
Being diagnosed with melanoma can feel overwhelming and may raise important questions, such as:
- What is the risk of my melanoma spreading to other parts of my body?
- Has my cancer already spread to other parts of my body?
- Will melanoma come back after it has been taken out with surgery?
- What is my long-term survival outlook?
The Merlin Test provides your doctor with a personalized risk assessment, helping guide the best treatment plan for you.
The Merlin Test helps predict your chances of cancer spreading, coming back in years ahead, and your overall survival outlook.
The Merlin Test is the only gene expression profiling test that provides you with a binary result:
How the Merlin Test helps doctors personalize your care
The Merlin Test analyzes genes expressed in your melanoma biopsy sample (no additional procedures required). These genes, combined with your age and tumor thickness, provide a personalized risk profile – helping assess how aggressive your melanoma is, the likelihood of it spreading, and your long-term outlook.
Every melanoma is unique. Instead of relying only on general statistics (such as age or tumor size), the Merlin Test incorporates tumor biology to provide an individualized result: Low Risk or High Risk.
One of the first decisions your doctor may discuss is whether you should undergo a sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB). This procedure is standard for staging melanoma, but it carries risks and may not be necessary for all patients.
Low Risk result: Suggests a low chance of melanoma spreading to the lymph nodes and a low risk of recurrence within 5 years – potentially allowing you to avoid SLNB.
High Risk result: Suggests a higher chance of spread and recurrence – supporting SLNB and closer follow-up to guide further therapy or monitoring.
This pathway may vary for each individual patient. Your treatment plan might be different from the one indicated.
Traditional staging classifies patients as “low risk” (no cancer cells in the lymph nodes) or “high risk” (cancer detected in the nodes). The Merlin Test goes further by identifying:
Patients with high recurrence risk even when lymph nodes are negative.
Patients with positive SLNB but low tumor burden who still have favorable long-term outcomes.
In summary:
The Merlin Test helps predict your chances of melanoma spreading, coming back within 5–10years, and your overall survival – so you and your doctor can make more informed decisions about your care.
