Melanoma & Skin Cancer News Round Up: 12/12/2014

MASScot does not endorse nor is affiliated with any of the content contained within these links.

• Experimental drugs aim to tackle melanoma 'escape route'

Manchester researchers are developing a new generation of targeted melanoma drugs that could bypass treatment resistance seen with current therapies.

Source: CR UK

• Ocular Melanoma: Are You Aware of This Eye Cancer? (US)

I never even knew ocular melanoma existed. I was aware of skin cancer, but never knew that people could get cancer in their eyes. The fact is that not many people do. Ocular melanoma is a very rare cancer, with only about six in 1 million people diagnosed per year.

Source: Huffington Post 

• Study finds melanoma and prostate cancer a risk for firefighters (AUS)

Firefighters are at greater risk of developing some cancers, compared to the Australian public, a study has found.

Source: Medical Xpress 

• Choroidal Melanoma in Children: Be Aware of Risks

The authors describe a case of choroidal melanoma in a 13-year-old girl treated with plaque brachytherapy.

Source: Healio 

Tragedy as man, 24, dies just eight months after doctors diagnosed skin cancer in mole triggered by Turkish holiday

A man who developed skin cancer after getting sunburnt in Turkey has died - just 18 months after returning from his holiday. 

Source: Daily Mail 

• New targeted drugs could treat drug-resistant skin cancer

A brand new family of cancer drugs designed to block several key cancer-causing proteins at once could potentially treat incurable skin cancers, a major new study reports.

Source: Eurekalert 

• Science & Society: Sunlight, sunbeds and skin cancer (US)

One American dies every hour from melanoma, the most common of the skin cancers. And a major tragedy is it is largely preventable.

But “everyone knows” it’s due to exposure to sunlight, so why devote a column to it at the beginning of winter? I assure you, there are reasons.

Source: Herald Extra 

Melanoma & Skin Cancer News Round Up: 09/12/2014

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• Brits too willing to risk their lives by ignoring potential cancer symptoms

People are putting their lives at risk by dismissing the warning signs of cancer, experts have warned.

A new study by Cancer Research UK found that more than half of British people have experienced at least one "red flag cancer alarm" symptom – such as a persistent cough or an unexplained lump – but only two per cent thought cancer was a possible cause.

Source: Independent 

• Creating body art! Dannii Minogue shows off her leopard painted figure mid process ahead of her campaign to raise awareness for skin cancer prevention

Spots can be dangerous: Dannii Minogue goes wild as she covers herself in leopard-print body paint to support skin cancer awareness

Source: Daily Mail 

• Natural Selection Favors Pale Skin Even Though Cancer Risk Is Higher

When humans migrated out of Africa some 100,000 years ago, the pigmentation in their skin gradually adapted to cooler climates resulting in the paler skin of people who now live in higher latitudes. But natural selection is furthering this adaptive process despite an increased risk of skin cancer. Scientists in Spain have been finding out why.

Source: Red Orbit 

• Advanced Melanoma: Treatments for Stages III and IV

Melanoma is the most dangerous form of skin cancer. In stages I and II, melanoma may be effectively treated with surgical removal of the lesions.

Source: Empowher 

• More Skin, More Sun, More Tan, More Melanoma

Although personal melanoma risk factors are well established, the contribution of socioeconomic factors, including clothing styles, social norms, medical paradigms, perceptions of tanned skin, economic trends, and travel patterns, to melanoma incidence has not been fully explored. We analyzed artwork, advertisements, fashion trends, and data regarding leisure-time activities to estimate historical changes in UV skin exposure. 

Source: Medscape 

• Ipilimumab in Uveal Melanoma: Long-Lasting Responses in 25%

The first trial of the immunomodulator ipilimumab (Yervoy, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company) conducted in patients with malignant uveal melanoma has shown efficacy in some patients.

Source: Medscape 

• SLNB did not improve survival in head and neck melanoma

Patients with head and neck melanoma who underwent sentinel lymph node biopsy derived no disease-specific survival benefit compared with patients who did not undergo the procedure, according to study results.

Source: Healio 

Melanoma & Skin Cancer News Round Up: 28/11/2014

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• Rare condition forces three-year-old Eddison to be 'boy in the bubble'

The family of a three-year-old boy diagnosed with an incurable condition which makes him 10,000 times more likely to develop skin cancer have reached out to other families coping with the disorder.

Source: STV 

• How selenium in broccoli may fight melanoma

The mineral selenium, which naturally occurs in foods like broccoli and garlic, appears to slow down a process that allows cancers such as melanoma, prostate cancer, and leukemia to spread.


Source: Futurity 

• US Skin Cancer Costs Top $8 Billion Annually (USA)

Each year in the United States, nearly 5 million people are treated for skin cancer, at a cost of $8.1 billion dollars. The costs associated with skin cancer treatment are not only rising, but they are increasing substantially more than for other cancers.

Source: Medical Research 

• UCLA study paves the way to more effective melanoma treatment

Last September, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved pembrolizumab, which was found to be affective against melanoma, a deadly form of skin cancer. Sadly, not all melanoma patients benefit from the treatment and UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center investigators have determined a method that will predict which patients will respond to the drug. Their research should lead to more effective treatment of melanoma patients. The findings of the two year study were published online on November 26 in the journal Nature.

Source: Examiner 

Melanoma & Skin Cancer News Round Up: 21/11/2014

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• GPs urged to double cancer referrals in NHS guidelines

Patients who visit GPs with persistent tiredness should be fast-tracked for cancer tests within 48 hours, according to new NHS advice warning that delays in diagnosis could be costing thousands of lives.

Source: nflnr 

• Blue-Eyed People May Face Higher Melanoma Risk

New research suggests that genes tied to blue eyes and red hair could put people at higher risk for moles or freckling in childhood, which are often precursors to the deadly skin cancer melanoma later in life.

Source: WebMD

• Survival in Melanoma Ups Further: 'We Have Cure in Our Sights'

"Can we now cure an incurable disease in some of our patients with metastatic melanoma?" This was the questioned posed here at the end of the Society for Melanoma Research International Congress 2014 meeting.

Source: MedScape 

• Skin cancer risks: Outdoor work contributes to high melanoma death rate for men over 45 (Australia)

Twice as many Victorian men over 45 die from melanoma than women of the same age, according to new figures from the Cancer Council of Victoria.

Source: ABC 

• Slip, slop slack to blame for high rate of melanoma in men (Australia)

TWICE as many men are dying of melanoma than Victorian women, with lax sunscreen habits, reluctance to see a doctor and excessive sun exposure being blamed.

Source: Herald Sun 

• Skin cancer: how effective are smartphone apps for early detection? (United States)

Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the US, accounting for almost half of all cancers. But if it is detected early - before it has spread to other parts of the body - it is almost always curable. There are now an array of smartphone applications available claiming to aid early detection of skin cancer. But how effective are they?

Source: Medical News Today 

• Cost of treating skin cancer is skyrocketing (United States)

Skin cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States and in the past few years has become a growing public health problem. Not only is the number of skin cancer cases growing, the cost of treating the diseaseis surging.

Source: Consumer Affairs 

Melanoma & Skin Cancer News Round Up: 14/11/2014

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• Two Bristol-Myers Squibb drugs approved by Scottish Medicines Consortium

Yervoy (ipilimumab), has been accepted for use in adult patient in Scotland with previously-untreated advanced melanoma. Data has shown ipilimumab has the potential to improve the overall survival of some patients with unreselectable or metastatic melanoma, whether they have received prior therapy or not.

Source: The Pharma Letter 

• Thin melanomas cause greater number of deaths

More people are dying from melanomas thinner than a dime than from the thicker cancerous skin lesions long thought to be more dangerous, according to a new study from Queensland, Australia.

Source: Reuters 

• Melanoma Risk Genetic Testing May Help With Prevention

Positive genetic risk information about melanoma may help to prompt people to discuss melanoma risk with a wider variety of family members, according to a study published in JAMA that examined the effects of hypothetical genetic testing. Interestingly, even people who received negative genetic testing results were still affected by the results.

Source: Cancer Network 

• MelaFind: Spotting Melanoma Without a Biopsy

More than 76-thousand Americans will be diagnosed with melanoma this year. If it’s not caught early, this type of skin cancer can be deadly. Doctors used to rely on biopsies to make a diagnosis, but now there’s a much less painful way. Spotting melanoma is easier than ever.

Source: Ksat 

• Next-Gen Melanoma Drug Excels in Lab Tests

A University of Colorado Cancer Center study published online in the journal Molecular Cancer Therapeutics reports anti-cancer activity in 10 out of 11 patient tumor samples grown in mice and treated with the experimental drug TAK-733, a small molecule inhibitor of MEK1/2. While the drug is conceived as a second-generation inhibitor in patients harboring the BRAF mutation, the study shows drug activity in melanoma models regardless of BRAF mutation status. Treated tumors shrunk up to 100%.

Source: DDD Mag 

• High tech treatment of that "skin" cancer, Melanoma

A blog from Donna Jeanne for Chicago Now. Donna is a Stage IV Melanoma patient who's goal is to teach others about the dangers of melanoma and the best protection.

Source: Chicago Now 

• This App Can Detect Skin Cancer In 7 Out Of 10 Cases: Here's How It Works

Treating melanoma in the UK costs more than £100 million every year, but the skin cancer can be treated easily and at less cost if detected in advance. An app developed by a team from Romania's University of Bucharest, called SkinVision, provides a new weapon against the disease, with an ability to detect melanoma with an accuracy of 73% using only a picture.

Source: UK Business Insider 

• Richie Benaud: Cricket commentator receiving radiation treatment for skin cancer

Cricket commentator Richie Benaud has revealed that he’s receiving radiation therapy to treat skin cancer just a year after he suffered serious injuries following a car crash.

Source: Independent 

• Skin Cancer Costs Soar Compared to Other Malignancies: CDC

The cost of skin cancer treatment in the United States more than doubled between 2002 and 2011, and rose five times faster than treatments for other cancers, a new study found.

Source: Consumer Healthday 

Melanoma & Skin Cancer News Round Up: 07/11/2014

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• Melanoma Survival Better With Immune Booster

Patients with metastatic melanoma who were treated with ipilimumab, an immune checkpoint blocker, survived 50% longer – a median 17.5 months vs. 12.7 months – if they simultaneously received an immune stimulant, according to a study led by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute scientists.

Source: DDD Mag 

• University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute to open Melanoma Tissue Bank

From autism to prostate cancer, researchers rely on specialized banks of donated human tissue to explore how diseases attack the body and what might stop them.

Source: Trib Live  

• Nine weeks of biochemotherapy effective for high-risk melanoma

A 9-week course of multiagent biochemotherapy markedly improved relapse-free survival in patients with high-risk melanoma, compared with the 1-year course of high-dose interferon that has been the unchallenged standard of care for this disease for decades, according to a report published online Oct. 27 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Source: Oncology Practice 

• Uveal Melanoma Successfully Treated with Lower Doses of Radiation

Rare as it is, uveal melanoma–or cancer in the eye involving the iris, cilliary body, or choroid–is the most common primary cancer of the eye, according to the National Cancer Institute. Treatment of uveal melanoma is achieved with radiation therapy, although a variety of regimens and techniques have been applied successfully. A new retrospective study performed by researchers at Duke University, “Uveal Melanoma Treated with Iodine-125 Episcleral Plaque: An Analysis of Dose on Disease Control and Visual Outcomes,” identified 69 Gy of radiation applied at the tumor apex to be sufficient to control tumor growth and enhance distant metastasis-free survival.

Source: Radiation Therapy News 

• New study finds school uniform alterations could reduce risk of skin cancer in school children

A new study has found that lowering the hemlines on school uniforms could reduce the risk of skin cancer.

The research, which comes from James Cook University in Queensland, found that increasing the average uniform covering to the knees and elbows could increase sun protection by over 9 per cent.

Source: Daily Mail 

• New Pain Free Technology Detects Skin Cancer

Now, there's an easier, pain-free way to check suspicious moles, called MelaFind. 

"It really helps us decide which lesions need to be biopsied," said Dr. Philip Bailin, a dermatologist at Cleveland Clinic.

The test takes less than a minute. The scanner transmits 10 different wavelengths of light into the skin and takes an image of the patient's mole. That image is compared to others in a database of more than 10,000 lesions.

Source: ABC 7 

Melanoma & Skin Cancer News Round Up: 31/10/2014

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• Hugh Jackman skin cancer: Actor treated for basal cell carcinoma on his nose for third time in under a year

Hugh Jackman has been diagnosed and treated for basal cell carcinoma for the third time this year, his spokesperson has confirmed.

Source: Independent 

• Skin Cancer U? Students Tan on Campus at Top Colleges

America’s top universities may be teaching a dangerous lesson about tanning.

Twelve percent of the nation’s top colleges and universities have tanning beds on campus, and nearly half have them either on campus or in off-campus housing, according to a report published online Wednesday in JAMA Dermatology.

Source: NBC News 

• Thin Melanomas Are More Dangerous

Australian scientists have found that more people die from thin melanomas than thick melanomas, reinforcing the need for strong prevention strategies. The findings have been published in Journal of Investigative Dermatology.

Source: Asian Scientist 

• Nine weeks of biochemotherapy effective for high-risk melanoma

A 9-week course of multiagent biochemotherapy markedly improved relapse-free survival in patients with high-risk melanoma, compared with the 1-year course of high-dose interferon that has been the unchallenged standard of care for this disease for decades, according to a report published online Oct. 27 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Source: Skin and Allergy News 

• Recognizing Melanoma and Precancerous Skin Problems

You might think that cancer is a problem for old age, but the truth is that certain common types of cancer begin cropping up as early as a person’s 30s. Hugh Jackman has been speaking out about the dangers of skin cancer this week, after having his third skin cancer treatment in a year. Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer, and melanoma is the deadliest form. Early detection and treatment of skin cancer makes it curable in almost all cases, while ignoring the problem can be life threatening. 

Source: Good 4 Utah 

• TRAINING THE BODY TO FIGHT MELANOMA

In a bid to reduce the number of high school students diagnosed with melanoma in Australia, the Cancer Council is installing shade sails at schools throughout the Wyndham region of Australia. 

Source: Wyndham Star Weekly 

• Metastatic melanoma therapeutic pipeline market reviewed in new report

This report provides comprehensive information on the therapeutic development for Metastatic Melanoma, complete with comparative analysis at various stages, therapeutics assessment by drug target, mechanism of action (MoA), route of administration (RoA) and molecule type, along with latest updates, and featured news and press releases. It also reviews key players involved in the therapeutic development for Metastatic Melanoma and special features on late-stage and discontinued projects.

Source: What Tech 

Melanoma & Skin Cancer News Round Up: 27/10/2014

Melanoma Action and Support Scotland does not endorse nor is affiliated with any of the content contained within these links. 

• Tracking melanoma’s deadly path

Scientists have worked out the mechanics of how melanoma spreads to the bloodstream. Their findings may lead to more effective treatments

Source: Cosmos Magazine 

• Scientists discover hidden subpopulation of melanoma cells

UNC School of Medicine researchers have pinpointed a set of intriguing characteristics in a previously unknown subpopulation of melanoma cancer cells in blood vessels of tumors. These cells, which mimic non-cancerous endothelial cells that normally populate blood vessels in tumors, could provide researchers with another target for cancer therapies.

Source: Medical Xpress 

• New drug that targets melanoma approved by NICE

Guidance has been issued by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommending another drug in the battle against a serious type of skin cancer.

Source: Nursing Times 

• Scientists Discover New Melanoma Cell Subpopulation To Blame For Drug-Resistant Tumors

Just when researchers thought they knew all there was to know about melanoma cells, they have found new characteristics of these cancer cells. A new breed of melanoma cells was recently discovered, and they behave exactly like non-cancerous endothelial cells that populate blood vessels in tumors. Targeting these cells may be another cancer management therapy that scientists think they can exploit.

Source: Medical Daily 

• Woman's Mole Turned Out To Be Cancerous After Doctor Dismissed Her Worries

Months after a doctor dismissed a young woman’s mole as nothing serious, another doctor diagnosed her with melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.

Source: Opposing Views 

• Novel Nanoparticle Delivers Melanoma-Fighting Drug Directly to the Cancer

Penn State College of Medicine researchers have developed a nanoparticle to deliver a melanoma-fighting drug directly to the cancer.

Source: Azonano 

• Skin cancers caught early kill more, study warns

PROMPTLY diagnosed melanomas are killing more people than advanced tumours, leading experts to warn that prevention is the only reliable defence against Australia’s third most common cancer.

Source: The Australian

• No association observed between obesity, risk for malignant melanoma

Researchers determined no convincing associations existed between obesity and the risk for malignant melanoma, according to study results published in a letter to the editor of the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.

Source: Healio 

• Data Analysis Highlights Melanoma Risk

Scientists at QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute say a study of melanoma deaths based on the thickness of tumours has reinforced the need for a strong focus on prevention strategies

Source:Health Canal

• A Former ‘Tan-oholic’ Pays the Price: Skin Cancer

Source: Everyday Health 

Melanoma and Skin Cancer News Round Up: 17/10/2014

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• Chemical signal gives melanoma cancer cells a ‘green light’ to spread

Researchers have identified a chemical that melanoma cells follow when they spread around the body – raising the prospect of eventually switching it off

Source: The Guardian

• TERT Promoter Mutations Common in Melanoma

A recent study has confirmed that TERT promoter mutations are common genetic mutations in cutaneous melanoma, and that these mutations may be linked with poor prognosis in certain subtypes of the disease.

Source: Cancer Network 

• Perth toddler diagnosed with melanoma; six new drugs approved for clinical trials

Experts are reminding parents that melanoma does not discriminate, after a Perth toddler needed surgery to remove a tumour.

Source: ABC 

• Trend toward earlier treatment of uveal melanoma observed

"Despite identification of risk factors, many ophthalmologists still observe borderline lesions, waiting for growth before initiating treatment of uveal melanomas,” Jerry A. Shields, MD, said in his delivery of the Charles L. Schepens, MD, Lecture here.

Source: Healio

• Fashion trends parallel the rise in melanoma

Skin-baring fashions, increased leisure time and acceptance of the idea of a “healthy tan” may have a lot to do with the rising numbers of new melanoma cases each year, suggests a new study.

Source: The Star

• Scientists find that fat molecule directs melanoma to spread

Cancer Research UK scientists have shown that a fat molecule found in the body directs the most serious type of skin cancer to spread, according to research published in PLOS Biology.

Source: Health Canal 

• Nivolumab Plus Ipilimumab in Advanced Melanoma

Immunotherapy combinations have generated excitement as treatments for patients with melanoma, specifically those involving PD-1 and CTLA-4 inhibitors.

Source: Onc Live 

• Genomic test promising for boosting certainty of melanoma diagnoses

A new genomic diagnostic test (myPath Melanoma, Myriad Genetics) is a highly accurate tool for discriminating between malignant melanoma and benign nevi, according to results of a validation study presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Source: Dermatology Times 

• Combination therapy likely to improve metastatic melanoma response

Evidence from ongoing trials will reveal the optimal approach to combining immune therapy and molecularly targeted therapy in the treatment of malignant melanoma, according to a presenter here at the 8th Canadian melanoma conference.

Source: Dermatology Times 

• The ongoing battle against melanoma

Melanoma is the most aggressive of skin cancers, accounting for nearly 80 percent of the 13,000 deaths caused by different types of skin cancers in the United States each year.

Source: Toledo Blade 

• People who feel ugly 'increase their risk of skin cancer': Those with low body confidence are more likely to sunbathe and avoid sunscreen

If you are unhappy with your looks, there is a greater risk of skin cancer, scientists have warned.

A study found that people who believe they are unattractive are more likely to ‘gamble with their skin’s health’ by basking in the sun.

They are also less likely to use sunscreen.

The UK and US researchers say that those with low body confidence may crave a tan in the belief that the golden glow makes them look better. 

Source: Daily Mail 

• Scots scientists: skin cancer spreads via ‘trail’

THE discovery of a signal given off by skin cancer cells before they migrate inside the body could be the first step towards stopping the spread of the disease, according to new research.

Source: The Scotsman 

• Top five myths about skin cancer

Source: SMH 

• Skin cancer can be mistaken for age spots: doctor

Age spots are common among elderly people who have made a living farming, but such brown marks can also be a symptom of skin cancer, as in the case of an 80-year-old farmer from Greater Taichung, a plastic surgeon warned recently.

Source: Taipei Times 

• Minimizing Skin Cancer Risk for Outdoor Workers

Skin cancer is one of the biggest fears for one in two outdoor workers and when the boss and staff work together the sun safe message gets through, a Queensland University of Technology (QUT) study has found.

Source: Skin Inc 

• Allergy to Metal Implants could trigger rare skin cancer.

For some patients, metal implants may increase the risk of an unusual and aggressive form of skin cancer.

Source: Futurity 

Melanoma and Skin Cancer News Round Up: 10/10/2014

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• University of Aberdeen melanoma study wins research award

A study from the University of Aberdeen into melanoma treatment by GPs has won a major research award.

Dr Peter Murchie said melanoma sufferers who received their first treatment from a GP were no worse off than patients referred directly to hospital for treatment.

Source: BBC 

• 20th century fashion, trends parallel rise in melanoma

Skin-baring fashions, increased leisure time and acceptance of the idea of a “healthy tan” may have a lot to do with the rising numbers of new melanoma cases each year, suggests a new study.

Source: Yahoo

• BRAF/MEK Increases Overall Survival in Melanoma

A video from Antonio Ribas, professor of medicine at the University of California from the 2014 Congress of the European Society for Clinical Onocology in Madrid, Spain.

Source: MedScape

• Melanoma studies dominate ESMO

Meanoma studies dominated both the Presidential Symposium and poster sessions at the European Society for Medical Oncology 2014 meeting. Practice changing trials endorsed the "precision medicine" theme of the meeting, held in Madrid, Spain, September 26-30, with studies demonstrating inhibiting two pathways was better than one and the first ever phase 3 trial data of a PD1 inhibitor.

Source: Medical News Today

• Melanoma Can Be Found Sooner than Later Thanks to Innovative Camera

Scientists have found a way to detect the early stages of melanoma. This discovery may save lives.

By creating a camera that can snap shots of the entire human body and render high-resolution images of a patient's skin, they can find lesions that indicate skin cancers on patients.

Source: Design Trend 

• How skin cancer leapt after bikinis hit the beaches: Rate went up 400% between the 1930s and 1960s

The bikini could be to blame for increasing rates of skin cancer, researchers have concluded after analysing 100 years of beachwear.

Source: Daily Mail  

• Renae Ayris reveals she had skin cancer scare aged 15 at Solar D sunscreen launch with Jules Sebastian

Speaking at the launch to the Daily Mail Australia she said: 'I do have quite spotty skin and I have had one cut out before. 

'It was when I was about 15 - it was a black dot and they said it had pre-cancerous cells in it, so it is lucky they cut it out at the time.'

Source: Daily Mail 

• Unusual skin cancer linked to chronic allergy from metal orthopedic implant

In rare cases, patients with allergies to metals develop persistent skin rashes after metal devices are implanted near the skin. New research suggests these patients may be at increased risk of an unusual and aggressive form of skin cancer.

Source: WUSTL 

Melanoma and Skin Cancer News Round Up: 06/10/2014

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• Are changes in fashion, tanning perceptions to blame for rising melanoma rates?

Rates of melanoma have been increasing for at least the past 30 years. Now, a new study published in the American Journal of Public Health claims a number of cultural and historical factors over the past 100 years, such as changes in fashion trends and social perceptions, have contributed to this increase.

Source: Medical News Today 

• Doctors explore social factors of melanoma

An increase in cases of melanoma over the past century may be attributed to a variety of social factors, according to a new study.

Source: Net Doctor

• New Standard in Melanoma: Combo of BRAF and MEK Inhibitors

For patients with advanced melanoma that is BRAF-mutation positive, the combination of a BRAF and MEK inhibitor works better than a BRAF inhibitor alone. The data come from 2 phase 3 trials presented here at the presidential session of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) Congress 2014.

Source: Medscape 

• Bristol immune drug shows strong effect in melanoma study

Bristol-Myers Squibb's immunotherapy drug Opdivo produced markedly improved response rates with fewer toxic side effects compared to chemotherapy in a major melanoma study, underscoring its potential as a new treatment option.

Source: Reuters 

• Immunotherapy Combinations in Advanced Melanoma

Limited options currently exist for patients with metastatic melanoma who do not have an actionable mutation. In these situations, ipilimumab can be administered as a single-agent, Jeffrey A. Sosman, MD, notes. Additionally, chemotherapy can be administered until a response is achieved followed by a switch to ipilimumab or interleuken-2.

Source: Onc Live 

• Australia the first country in the world to see decline in skin cancer rates

Australia is the first country in the world to show an improvement in skin cancer rates, with a small reduction in levels of melanoma and non-melanoma in the under-45 age group.

Source: The Guardian 

• Drugs combination could help skin cancer patients extend life

Treating patients suffering from the deadliest form of skin cancer with a combination of drugs could help extend their lives, research has suggested.

Source: Herald Scotland 

• Skin cancer patients given fresh hope with University of Manchester research breakthrough

Patients with the most dangerous form of skin cancer could benefit from new research.

Researchers have found that ‘calming down’ the signals from immune cells called macrophages can slow the growth of melanoma tumours.

Source: Manchester Evening News 

Melanoma and Skin Cancer News Round Up: 25/09/2014

MASScot does not endorse nor is affiliated with any of the content contained within these links.

• Study: Telomere length impacts melanoma risk

Researchers with Dartmouth College have found that genes controlling telomere length of telomeres influence the risk of melanoma.

Source: Dermatology Times

• GSK melanoma pill backed by UK cost watchdog with price cut

Britain's healthcare cost agency NICE has recommended a third new drug for melanoma, this time from GlaxoSmithKline, after the drugmaker offered to supply it at a discount to the state-run National Health Service.

Source: Reuters

• New melanoma treatment approved by NICE

Dabrafenib will be the second melanoma drug targeting the BRAF V600 mutation to be available on the NHS after NICE approved vemurafenib in December 2012.

Source: Pharmaceutical Journal 

• 'A single mole caused cancer to spread through my body - now I only have months to live': Horror of man, 24, whose holiday sunburn led to life-threatening disease

A man has been given just months to live after learning a mole he developed while on holiday was in fact a rare form of cancer that has spread through his inner organs.

Source: Daily Mail

• Melanoma Could Be Caused By Ageing Genes; Best Diet For Anti-Ageing; Celebrities Who Have Aged Gracefully

A recent study by an international team of researchers found that ageing genes could play a role in melanoma, a type of skin cancer. It was found that genes that have the ability to control the length of telomeres, the caps at the end of the chromosomes, could be related to melanoma susceptability.

Source: ibtimes

• I thought I could beat anything. Then my doctor said: 'You have skin cancer': Bestselling author relives the most harrowing moment of her life

Bestselling author of Second Chance relives her most harrowing moment. Jane Green knew there was a risk as skin cancer ran in the family. She tells of the agonising wait to find out if the disease had spread.

Source: Daily Mail 

• Melanoma Institute’s groundbreaking cancer treatment gives Craig Lawn new lease on life

THERE is a high chance Craig Lawn would not be alive today if not for a world-first drugs trial which is revolutionising treatment for melanoma. In November last year, Mr Lawn was given six months to live after being diagnosed with inoperable, stage four melanoma.

Source: Daily Telegraph AU

• Skin cancer drug should be available on NHS, officials say

A new drug for skin cancer patients should be made widely available on the NHS, health officials have said.

Dabrafenib can have a "rapid positive effect" on patients with a certain type of melanoma, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) said.

Source: The Guardian

• Removing your tattoo 'can give you skin cancer'... and is almost as dangerous as tanning beds  

Removing your tattoo increases the risk of skin cancer and is as dangerous as lying on a tanning bed, according to an expert. Dr Ian McDougall, based on the Gold Coast Queensland, believes not enough information is given to patients who undergo the procedure and said the industry should be better regulated. 

Source: Daily Mail 

• Calming down immune cells could hold key to melanoma treatment

Cancer Research UK scientists at The University of Manchester found that chemical signals produced by a type of immune cell, called macrophages, also act as a survival signal for melanoma cells.

Source: Cancer Research UK 

Melanoma and Skin Cancer News Round Up: 12/09/2014

MASScot does not endorse nor is affiliated with any of the content within these links.

• Study links genetic mutation and melanoma progression

Dartmouth researchers have found that the genetic mutation BRAFV600E, frequently found in metastatic melanoma, not only secretes a protein that promotes the growth of melanoma tumour cells, but can also modify the network of normal cells around the tumour to support the disease's progression. 

Source: Medical Xpress

• UNM creates new melanoma therapy

A promising new method to diagnose and treat melanoma is a step closer to market following a licensing agreement between an Albuquerque start-up and the University of New Mexico.

Source: ABQ Journal

• Skin cancer risks higher for soldiers serving abroad

A retrospective study of about 200 US military veterans has uncovered alarming statistics on soldiers deployed oversees being more at risk of developing melanoma and skin cancer.

Source: Vanderbilt

• Skipton firm licensed to help skin cancer detection rates

Early diagnosis and detection rates of skin cancer have been boosted by a pioneering digital application developed by academics.The Dermofit app which has been developed in the UK trains the medical profession to accurately identify malignant and benign skin lesion and skin growths at an earlier stage.

Source: Yorkshire Post