Melanoma

Melanoma is a form of cancer that begins in melanocytes (cells that make the pigment melanin). It may begin in a mole (skin melanoma), but can also begin in other pigmented tissues, such as in the eye or in the intestines.

What are Melanomas?

The treatment of melanoma may involve surgery, immunotherapy, targeted therapy, chemotherapy or radiotherapy, or a combination of several treatment techniques. Each of these treatments is outlined below.

Melanoma Symptoms and Cause

How is Melanoma Diagnosed and Treated?

Melanoma Prognosis

Melanoma Epidemiology

Melanoma History

Melanoma Research

Choroidal Melanoma

Managing Choroidal Melanomas

Malignant Melanoma

Metastatic Melanoma

Latest Melanoma News and Research

PET imaging can enable accurate diagnosis of recurring brain metastases

For patients with brain metastases, amino acid positron emission tomography (PET) can provide valuable information about the effectiveness of state-of-the-art treatments.

5 May 2021

Researchers use 3-D bioprinting to create custom-shaped cartilage for use in surgical procedures

A team of University of Alberta researchers has discovered a way to use 3-D bioprinting technology to create custom-shaped cartilage for use in surgical procedures. The work aims to make it easier for surgeons to safely restore the features of skin cancer patients living with nasal cartilage defects after surgery.

5 May 2021

Immunome could provide unprecedented insight into an individual’s health

The human immune system doesn't just protect our health, it reflects it. Each encounter with a potential disease-causing agent causes the body to produce specific immune agents -- proteins known as antibodies and T-cell receptors -- tailor-made to recognize and destroy the invader.

5 May 2021

Arresting tumor growth for a variety of cancers through T cell engineering

Through T cell engineering, researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center show that it's possible to arrest tumor growth for a variety of cancers and squash the spread of cancer to other tissues.

30 Apr 2021

The Christie NHS Foundation Trust first to offer treatment in cancer patients’ homes

One of Europe’s largest cancer centres, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, has become the first in the country to provide a treatment called Phesgo for breast cancer patients in their own homes. Phesgo is a combination of Herceptin

30 Apr 2021

Researchers address the importance of increasing efforts to limit indoor tanning among minors

There is substantial evidence that indoor tanning is associated with increased risk of skin cancer – the most common type of cancer nationwide according to the American Cancer Society. Public health officials and researchers have become increasingly concerned about the health risks posed by indoor tanning.

29 Apr 2021

Topical therapy can help safely reduce side effect of cancer treatment

Patients with advanced colorectal cancer may be spared from a toxic side effect caused by a type of targeted therapy used to treat the cancer with the help of another drug normally used to treat melanoma, according to a study led by researchers at the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.

28 Apr 2021

New potential target for treating metastasized oral malignant melanoma in dogs

Scientists have shown that the biological molecule PD-L1 is a potential target for the treatment of metastasized oral malignant melanoma in dogs.

23 Apr 2021

Three teams selected to receive the first awards from Dartmouth Innovations Accelerator for Cancer

Three teams of Dartmouth researchers have been selected to receive the first awards from the Dartmouth Innovations Accelerator for Cancer.

17 Apr 2021

New recipients for the 2021 NCCN Foundation Young Investigator Awards announced

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network and the NCCN Foundation today announced six new recipients for the 2021 NCCN Foundation Young Investigator Awards Program.

15 Apr 2021

Tanning bed ban among minors would prevent melanoma and save millions in healthcare costs

A recent study indicates that a U.S. ban on the use of tanning beds among minors would prevent thousands of cases of melanoma in adolescents and would save millions of dollars in healthcare costs. The findings are published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.

15 Apr 2021

Anti-diabetic drug phenformin may prompt stronger cancer-fighting activities

The anti-diabetic drug phenformin may prompt stronger cancer-fighting activities than its sister compound metformin, a finding that could have major implications for current and future clinical trials investigating both agents for their anti-cancer potential, according to researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH).

15 Apr 2021

Experts to discuss advanced cancer cell and gene therapies at Summit 2021

April 29 marks a pivotal moment in cancer research when the world's brightest minds come together to discuss how to translate the success of CAR T-cell therapies for blood cancers into successful cell and gene therapies for the most complex and deadly solid tumor cancers.

15 Apr 2021

Campaign informing about risk of tanning should consider people’s resistance to message

Most young women already know that tanning is dangerous and sunbathe anyway, so a campaign informing them of the risk should take into account their potential resistance to the message, according to a new study.

15 Apr 2021

Melanoma mortality is higher in Utah than in any other state, shows report

A letter published today [April 8, 2021] by Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah (U of U) in the New England Journal of Medicine reports that melanoma mortality among Utahns outpaced that of the rest of the United States during the period from 1975 to 2013.

12 Apr 2021

Novel immunotherapy approach may offer therapeutic advantages for melanoma

In a new study led by Yale Cancer Center, researchers have advanced a tumor-targeting and cell penetrating antibody that can deliver payloads to stimulate an immune response to help treat melanoma.

12 Apr 2021

Study shows how melanoma cells evade detection and destruction by immune cells

A dysfunctional immune system significantly contributes to the development of cancer. Several therapeutic strategies to activate the immune system to target cancer cells have been approved to treat different types of cancer, including melanoma.

9 Apr 2021

Increased incidence of melanoma in Utah points to overdiagnosis

A letter published today by Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah (U of U) in the New England Journal of Medicine reports that melanoma mortality among Utahns outpaced that of the rest of the United States during the period from 1975 to 2013.

9 Apr 2021

A collaborative effort to evaluate treatment of liver and pancreatic tumors

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and TriSalus Life Sciences today announced a strategic research collaboration to evaluate the treatment of tumors of the pancreas and liver by integrating interventional delivery of SD-101.

8 Apr 2021

Inhibition of NLRP3 complex can reduce inflammation in melanoma patients

Cancer doctors may soon have a new tool for treating melanoma and other types of cancer, thanks to work being done by researchers at the University of Colorado Cancer Center.

8 Apr 2021