RELATED VIDEO CNN's Dan Rutz reports on a new screening test for melanoma and how it may help detect the cancer Windows Media 28K 80K

March 29, 1999
Web posted at: 5:40 p.m. EST (2240 GMT)

SANTA MONICA, California (CNN) -- A blood test for malignant melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer, is currently being tested at more than a dozen U.S. research centers.

Doctors at the John Wayne Cancer Institute, near Los Angeles, developed the test and say it already has proven useful in predicting the course of the disease.

The California researchers expect the test to eventually guide patients and doctors in deciding how closely to schedule check-ups -- and whether to escalate treatment -- before the cancer can even be seen or felt.