Virtual Webinars
Jul 30, 2026
Ask the Expert: The Evolving Role of ctDNA in Melanoma Treatment and Surveillance
Register NowDate and Time
Jul 30, 2026 · 7:00 - 8:30 EDTET
Virtual Event
Zoom
About This Event
Join the Melanoma Research Foundation for an Ask the Expert webinar exploring the evolving role of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in melanoma care. This educational program will feature melanoma expert Dr. Vincent Ma and melanoma patient advocate Michael Wilson as they discuss how tumor-informed ctDNA testing is being used to monitor treatment response, detect recurrence, and help guide clinical decision-making in melanoma.
Dr. Ma will provide an overview of measurable residual disease (MRD) and ctDNA, discuss emerging research on ctDNA dynamics during immunotherapy, and share real-world case studies highlighting the complexities of treatment monitoring, including pseudo-progression and recurrence detection. Michael Wilson will share his personal experience navigating stage III melanoma, ctDNA surveillance, recurrence, and ongoing monitoring throughout treatment.
Speakers:
Vincent Ma, MD is an Associate Professor, Medical Oncologist, in the Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology, Medical Oncology and Palliative Care; and a faculty affiliate in the Department of Dermatology at the University of Wisconsin in Madison. He is currently the Co-Faculty Leader for the Melanoma and Non-Melanoma Advanced Cutaneous Malignancies at the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center. He also serves as co-chair of the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium Melanoma/Cutaneous Oncology Clinical Trial Working Group. Dr. Ma’s primary clinical interests are the diagnosis, treatment, and surveillance of melanoma and other advanced stage cutaneous malignancies, including Merkel cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma, and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. Dr. Ma’s research focus in on liquid biopsy-based biomarkers and optimizing therapeutic strategies in melanoma and other advanced skin cancers with an additional emphasis in early phase clinical trial investigation involving immunotherapy and molecular targeted therapies.
Michael Wilson was diagnosed with stage IIIb melanoma in December 2021 at age 32. He is under the care of Dr. Vincent T. Ma at the Carbone Cancer Center in Madison, Wisconsin, and works professionally as a software developer specializing in radiation oncology quality assurance.
He began Signatera monitoring in September 2022 following adjuvant immunotherapy. During routine surveillance, a CT scan on July 8, 2024 identified an enlarging lymph node. A biopsy on July 17 confirmed recurrence. A Signatera test drawn on July 22 reported undetectable ctDNA despite the confirmed recurrence, while a subsequent test on July 24 detected positive ctDNA.
Following additional surgical pathology in September 2024, along with radiation and BRAF/MEK‑targeted therapy, Michael has remained cancer‑undetectable by Signatera and other clinical assessments.