To further demonstrate the detection rate of TERT ctDNA in metastatic melanoma we tested 56 plasma samples from randomly selected stage IV (AJCC) melanoma patients (mean age 65 years, ranging from 35 to 85 years) with known BRAF but unknown TERT mutational status and compared this to 56 plasma samples from healthy individuals (mean age 51 years, ranging from 24 to 81 years). Here, TERT is linked to melanoma.