Key Takeaways

A genetic test might spare lymph node biopsy surgery among melanoma patients

About 93% of people classified as low risk by the test had no cancer in their lymph nodes

Those folks might be able to skip the biopsy, which requires anesthesia and incisions

MONDAY, Oct. 27, 2025 (HealthDay News) — An already-available genetic test might spare some melanoma patients from a surgical procedure to see whether their cancer has spread to their lymph nodes.

About 93% of people classified as low risk by the genetic test had no cancer in their lymph nodes, researchers recently reported in JAMA Surgery .

These folks — representing more than a third of all cases — might be able to go without lymph node biopsy surgery, which requires anesthesia and incisions, researchers said.

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