Melanoma & Skin Cancer News Round Up: 29/04/2014

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

• GSK’s Mekinist on course for EU melanoma approval

GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK) skin cancer drug Mekinist was the only new medicine recommended by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in its latest batch of opinions.

http://www.pmlive.com/pharma_news/gsks_mekinist_on_course_for_eu_melanoma_approval_563017

• Cheap holidays 'increased' melanoma rates

Skin cancer rates ‘surge since 1970s’,” reports the BBC.

The news is based on a press release from Cancer Research UK after the release of new figures for the number of people diagnosed with malignant melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer. The statistics show that the number of people being diagnosed with malignant melanoma is five times higher than it was 40 years ago.

http://www.nhs.uk/news/2014/04April/Pages/Cheap-holidays-increased-melanoma-rates.aspx

• Pauline Latham: Teachers should be able to protect children against melanoma

Some months ago, I met with a skin cancer specialist who had worked in Australia. He told me that every child there is required to carry a bottle of water and sun cream in their school bag. Teachers in Australian schools are also permitted to apply the cream should the child be unable to do so. This sort of teacher/pupil contact would of course be frowned upon in this country, and many teachers would be apprehensive about such physical contact. This blanket no-touching policy is absurd. If a teacher puts cream onto a child in full view of others, and especially is a woman, what is the problem? Once a child is able to apply it themselves they can, but in the early years they do need help.

http://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/Pauline-Latham-Teachers-able-protect-children/story-21011986-detail/story.html#ixzz30GiaxS4Q

• How healthy is your postcode? Malignant melanoma map shows Cornwall and Devon's high risk of skin cancer

A new online map that allows people to enter their postcode and find the risk of developing 14 conditions has gone live, highlighting the high risk of skin cancer in Cornwall and Devon.

http://www.middevonstar.co.uk/news/devon_news/11172531.How_healthy_is_your_postcode__Malignant_melanoma_map_shows_Cornwall_and_Devon_s_high_risk_of_skin_cancer/

• Skin cancer alert issued as number of cases soars

Rates of malignant melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer, are five times higher in the UK than they were in the 1970s, new figures show.

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/apr/21/skin-cancer-alert-malignant-melanoma

• Crackdown on tanning salons as East Lancs skin cancer toll rises

COUNCIL chiefs have pledged to get tough on tanning salons after new figures revealed a huge rise in the number of skin cancer sufferers in East Lancashire.

http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/11172343.Crackdown_on_tanning_salons_as_East_Lancs_skin_cancer_toll_rises/

• Skin Cancer: How To Spot The Signs

Two big stories around skin cancer have cropped up recently: one is that men who live alone are more likely to get skin cancer and the second is that scientists have made a step towards understanding what role family history plays in getting the disease.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/04/22/skin-cancer-how-to-spot-the-signs_n_5076652.html

Melanoma & Skin Cancer News Round Up: 03/04/2014

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

This post is simply a collection of links which refer to melanoma or skin cancer in some capacity.

• Skin cancer: Genetic mutations 'warn of risk'

Scientists say they have taken a step forward in understanding why some people are at greater risk of skin cancer because of their family history.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-26790332

• Durable melanoma remission seen with Bristol immunotherapy drug

A drug that uses the body's own immune system to kill cancer cells has produced lasting remissions - some as long as two years - in patients with melanoma that had spread to other parts of the body, according to data published on Monday.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/03/cancer-melanoma-bristol-idUSL1N0LX1R720140303

• Men under 20 and over 64 putting themselves at risk of skin cancer

Men aged under 20 and over 64 are at greater risk of developing skin cancer than women because they are far more likely to ignore warnings to protect themselves against sunshine by wearing suncream or a hat, a new study shows.

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/mar/26/men-under-20-over-64-putting-themselves-risk-skin-cancer

• Bacteria may enhance the body’s ability to fight melanoma

Recent research from the University of Otago shows that bacteria may assist the body’s immune system response against cancer cells and help fight tumours like melanoma.

http://www.healthcanal.com/cancers/48192-bacteria-may-enhance-the-body%E2%80%99s-ability-to-fight-melanoma.html

• Eight out of ten tanning salons exceed legal limit on cancer rays: Light bulbs that are too powerful put users at increased risk

Eight out of ten sunbed salons failed safety tests in spot checks by officials. The majority of beds were found to have light bulbs that were too powerful and put users at increased risk of cancer. In the worst case, their output of UV rays breached the legal limit by as much as four times. The legal limit for sunbed emissions is 0.3 watts per square metre – the equivalent of the midday summer sun in Spain.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2589464/Eight-ten-tanning-salons-exceed-legal-limit-cancer-rays-Light-bulbs-powerful-users-increased-

• "Single men risk ignoring melanoma symptoms" - The NHS Invesigates this claim

The headlines are based on a population study from Sweden, which followed almost 30,000 people diagnosed with malignant melanoma – the most serious form of skin cancer.

Despite the headline, the study did not find that men who live alone were at greater risk of developing melanoma.

http://www.nhs.uk/news/2014/04April/Pages/Single-men-risk-ignoring-melanoma-symptoms.aspx

The Mongol Rally: Steve Langan Fund-raises for MASScot

The Mongol Rally takes place over a week, covering 10,000 miles and some of the harshest roads in the world. When it comes to the choice of car for covering the terrain the Mongol Rally official line is that you can “bring anything as long as its crap and has an engine no bigger than 1 litre of yaks milk” a mammoth task for a rally from Europe to Ulan Bator, capital of Mongolia, it’s quite the feat. 

Steve Langan, whose sister Anne sadly passed away last year will be taking part in the Mongol rally in memory of Anne and raising funds in the process. 

"As some of you will know, my younger sister died in May this year of a misdiagnosed melanoma. It started under her big toe and ended up in her brain, and killed her very quickly indeed.  She left behind a wonderful husband and three lovely young teenage girls.  

The cancer spread so fast that I didn't get a chance to say goodbye to her properly, and so in her memory, and to raise awareness of the dangers of melanomas, I - and two equally unhinged friends, Rodger Williams and Peter Martin - have decided to raise £100,000 for MASScot by taking part in the 2014 Mongol Rally."

The route Steve and the guys will be taking will take them through Europe, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, across the Caspian Sea to Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Russia and finally Mongolia. Whilst it will be an adventure of a lifetime for everyone involved it will also be extremely hard work. 

You can donate to Steve at his Just Giving page here

Check out the video to see what the guys have in store.

Melanoma & Skin Cancer News Round Up: 07/01/2014

Hope everyone had a nice Christmas and New Year. This is the first news round up of 2014, so plenty of news to catch up on from over the past couple of weeks. 

In no particular order, here are a selection of links to articles referring to melanoma and skin cancer. 

Skin cancer awareness low among minorities

Black and Hispanic people and other minorities tend to know less about skin cancer than whites, a new study suggests.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/01/03/us-skin-cancer-awareness-minorities-idUKBREA020WP20140103

Newly Discovered Molecular Targets May Treat Difficult Melanomas

A recently-published study in the journal Clinical Cancer Research supported by the Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) charitable foundation has identified new molecular targets which could potentially result in new remedies for difficult-to-treat melanomas.

http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1113037626/melanoma-treatments-based-on-newly-discovered-molecular-targets-010114/#vsdiZK5L7T6KbeFL.99

Breakthrough in melanoma research

University of Newcastle cancer researchers have identified a protein that plays a role in the growth of melanoma cells, which they hope will lead to a new treatment for the disease.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-01-03/breakthrough-in-melanoma-research/5182974

T-VEC Shows Efficacy in Melanoma Trial

In a Phase III trial of stage IIIB-IV melanoma patients, a vaccine engineered from herpes simplex virus improved durable response rate compared with granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating growth factor (GM-CSF). The trial of talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC, Amgen), a virus engineered to carry two human GM-CSF genes, also showed hints of improving survival.

http://www.clinicaloncology.com/ViewArticle.aspx?d=Solid%2BTumors&d_id=148&i=December+2013&i_id=1018&a_id=24630&tab=MostRead

Instructional film helped students to bolster melanoma knowledge

Medical students significantly improved their knowledge of melanoma and confidence in performing skin cancer examinations after viewing a novel instructional film, according to recent study results.

http://www.healio.com/dermatology/cutaneous-oncology/news/online/%7Bab2d6a9a-9edb-4c71-842d-cfe56caa37a3%7D/instructional-film-helped-students-to-bolster-melanoma-knowledge

Shocking away melanoma

Each year, more than 76,000 Americans are diagnosed with melanoma, 9,000 die. Once its spread, this type of cancer is extremely difficult to treat. Now, researchers say a new therapy is helping them shock away some of the most stubborn tumors.

http://www.mysuncoast.com/health/news/shocking-away-melanoma/article_1ea011e2-725a-11e3-a92d-0019bb30f31a.html

Former Emmerdale star Roxanne Pallett reveals skin cancer scar

Roxanne Pallett has revealed that she has undergone an emergency operation, after suffering from a rare form of skin cancer.

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/showbiz/news/a541569/former-emmerdale-star-roxanne-pallett-reveals-skin-cancer-scare.html#ixzz2pbuChWaQ 

Radiation treatment for skin cancer offers positive cosmetic, functional outcomes

Skin cancer is the most common cancer among women and men; more than 1 million cases of basal cell or squamous cell cancer occur in the U.S. annually. It has also been estimated that nearly half of all Americans who live to age 65 will develop skin cancer at least once.


http://lubbockonline.com/advertising/2014-01-06/radiation-treatment-skin-cancer-offers-positive-cosmetic-functional-outcomes#.Usp6hPRdUgs

Protein may combat melanoma

ONCE it has spread there is no cure – but University of Newcastle researchers could one day provide hope to melanoma sufferers who detect the cancer too late.

http://www.theherald.com.au/story/2008387/protein-may-combat-melanoma/?cs=2373

Hull-born The Apprentice winner Michelle Dewberry reveals she has skin cancer

Former winner of the BBC's The Apprentice Michelle Dewberry has announced she has skin cancer.

http://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/Hull-born-Apprentice-winner-Michelle-Dewberry/story-20406420-detail/story.html#ixzz2phqFhbLf

Comment: East Asian genes may solve the skin cancer puzzle

Europeans fall prey to skin cancer because of their lighter skin, while Africans' dark skin protects them. But East Asians, whose skin colour resembles that of Europeans, are similar to Africans in their low susceptibility to melanoma – the deadliest skin cancer. No one yet knows why, but our research might hold the answer and perhaps help find treatment for the cancer.

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2014/01/07/comment-east-asian-genes-may-solve-skin-cancer-puzzle

JUNE is a Fashionable Way to Prevent Skin Cancer

June is a long way from now, but you can get your preparations for beach season started early, anyway. JUNE is an upcoming fashion/tech accessory that will help you stay safe out in the sun, once it finally comes out again.

http://www.chipchick.com/2014/01/june-skin-cancer.html

Drug Discovery of the Year awarded to the team behind the development of trametinib

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) have been awarded ‘Drug Discovery of the Year’ by the British Pharmacological Society for 2013.

The Drug Discovery of the Year award celebrates the role of pharmacologists in the development of new medicines. With 12,000 cases of malignant melanoma diagnosed every year in the UK and 1,202 cases being diagnoses in Scotland, trametinib has been a welcome addition in the fight against melanoma and other skin cancers. 

Dr Ann Hayes, Fellow of the British Pharmacological Society and chair of the judging panel, confirms: 

“This year’s nominees for Drug Discovery of the Year all demonstrated excellence in pharmacology and were difficult to separate. Trametinib was distinguished by its novel translational pharmacology, but undoubtedly the judges were also impressed by the GSK team’s ambition to address the impact of malignant melanoma on the lives of so many patients and their families.”

Melanoma & Skin Cancer News Round Up: 20/12/13

A collection of links to stories and articles concerning melanoma and skin cancer:

Immunotherapies Will Continue to Dominate the Malignant Melanoma Drug Market with Sales of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors Accounting for Majority of Sales in this Drug Class in 2022

BRAF/MEK Inhibitor Combination Therapy Will Become Treatment of Choice for BRAF-Mutation-Positive Unresectable Malignant Melanoma, According to a New Report from Decision Resources

Source: MarketWatch

Registry offers insights into pediatric melanoma outcomes

Tumor thickness, lymph node status, ulceration and disease stage significantly predicted survival among pediatric patients with melanoma, according to results of a retrospective review.

Source: Healio

Melanoma patients may benefit from electroporation

Once it spreads, this type of skin cancer is extremely difficult to treat. But now researchers say a new therapy is helping them shock away some of the most stubborn tumors.

Source: ABC

Seemingly pan-negative melanomas may be sensitive to MEK inhibitor

A small subset of patients with supposedly nongenetically driven melanomas respond to molecularly targeted treatment with an MEK inhibitor, according to recent findings released today.

Source: Oncology Practice

Colchester Hospital: NHS England probe finds five cancer areas 'unsafe'

NHS England found five areas - including skin cancer and urology - were unsafe. The hospital said the main issues found were with the "processes".

Source: BBC

Tests begin on skin cancer detection website

A team of dermatologists is beta testing a website designed as a tool to provide early detection of skin cancer. 

Source: Dermatology Times

Another UCLA stem cell breakthrough on skin cancer

Investigators at UCLA’s Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research have discovered how tissue-specific hair follicle stem cells promote the development of squamous cell skin cancer. They note that understanding the mechanism of stem cell cancer suppression could lead to the development of preventive measures for individuals susceptible to squamous skin cancer. The study was published online on December 15 in the journal Nature Cell Biology.

Source: Examiner

Vancouver skin cancer detection device ready for market; Nobel Prize-winning research behind it

Is a real-time skin-cancer detector a suitable substitute — or a solid second opinion — for dermatologists, since such specialized doctors are in such short supply around the world? And will B.C. patients with worrisome lesions ever even benefit from the BC Cancer Agency/University of B.C.-patented device?

Source: Vancouver Times

Skin cancer breakthrough to be developed in Brisbane

A strategic partnership between The University of Queensland and global pharmaceutical company LEO Pharma will investigate the genetic causes of squamous cell carcinoma, the world’s second most common skin cancer.

Source: University of Queensland

Melanoma & Skin Cancer News Round Up: 11/12/2013

A collection of links to articles referring to melanoma and skin cancer:

Skin cancer drug Vemurafenib approved for use

• http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-25310860

• http://www.donsidepiper.co.uk/news/scottish-headlines/cancer-drug-approved-for-nhs-use-1-3226066

• http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/scots-back-new-cancer-drug-move-144985n.22899193

Stage III/IV melanoma patients at risk for new primaries

• Patients with stage III or IV melanoma who have not received treatment with BRAF inhibitors remain at risk for developing new primary melanomas (NPMs), although the incidence rates are lower than those observed in studies of dabrafenib and vemurafenib, according to research published online Dec. 2 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-12-stage-iiiiv-melanoma-patients-primaries.html

Positive interim results reported for DNA-based therapy for advanced melanoma

• Ziopharm Oncology announced encouraging interim results from a phase 1/2 multicenter trial of a novel DNA-based therapeutic candidate being studied with veledimex in patients with advanced melanoma.

http://www.healio.com/dermatology/cutaneous-oncology/news/online/%7B2cd1c434-712f-43f2-8e72-c99a1b06e8df%7D/positive-interim-results-reported-for-dna-based-therapy-for-advanced-melanoma

Hopeful trials see firm's cancer vaccine bid reach the next level

• CANCER vaccines developed by a Nottingham science firm are helping patients fight their tumours and survive longer, tests suggest.

http://www.nottinghampost.com/Hopeful-trials-firm-s-cancer-vaccine-bid-reach/story-20306034-detail/story.html#ixzz2n9sQpp00

Minorities and melanoma

• Southern California has the third highest rate of melanoma in the world, only behind Australia and New Zealand. These statistics fly in the face of long-held conventional wisdom that skin cancer preys only on people with fair complexions. More than half of Southlanders are Latino, and nearly 10 percent are African-American.

http://www.healthcanal.com/cancers/skin-cancer/45755-minorities-and-melanoma.html

U.S. midfielder Sacha Kljestan treated for pre-cancerous spots on face 

• US men's national team footballer treated for Skin Cancer.

http://prosoccertalk.nbcsports.com/2013/12/10/u-s-midfielder-sacha-kljestan-treated-for-skin-cancer/