Patients with skin cancers including melanoma are sometimes asked to have blood tests. These tests provide a relatively non-specific indication about the patient’s immune system, haemoglobin, liver and kidney (renal) function.

Unfortunately there is no blood test which serves as a reliable indicator of whether melanoma has spread from the original tumour to other parts of the body, although some are under investigation (S100, MIA).

Blood tests include:

• Full blood count
• Liver function tests
• Urea and Creatinine
• LDH