Osteopontin, BDNF and LIF were selected because they have been implicated in melanoma growth, progression and metastasis [45–50], shown to be detectable in serum/plasma of patients with melanoma [29–33, 36], and identified as potential circulating biomarkers of response to therapy and/or PFS or OS across various malignancies [49–56]. The gene discussed is BDNF; the disease is melanoma.