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.

Malignant Melanoma

What are the Statistics of Melanoma?

How is Melanoma Diagnosed and Treated?

Melanoma Research

Melanoma Symptoms and Cause

Metastatic Melanoma

Melanoma History

Melanoma Prognosis

Managing Choroidal Melanomas

Choroidal Melanoma

Latest Melanoma News and Research

Breakthrough research offers first targeted treatment option for NRAS-mutant melanoma

New research from Moffitt Cancer Center shows that RAS(ON) multi-selective inhibition can directly block tumor growth and activate the immune system, offering the first targeted approach for patients with NRAS-mutant melanoma, an aggressive form of skin cancer with limited treatment options beyond immune checkpoint inhibitors.

4 Nov 2025

New approach harnesses tumor's own machinery to produce immune-stimulating molecules

By stimulating cancer cells to produce a molecule that activates a signaling pathway in nearby immune cells, MIT researchers have found a way to force tumors to trigger their own destruction.

3 Nov 2025

Hijacking cellular machinery within cancer cells to promote antitumor immunity

Investigators from Mass General Brigham have developed a way to promote antitumor immunity by hijacking cellular machinery within cancer cells.

3 Nov 2025

Study reveals how melanoma evolves to resist immunotherapy

A study led by UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center investigators reveals how melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, evolves to resist immunotherapy and identifies a potential strategy to prevent or reverse that resistance.

31 Oct 2025

Novel nanoparticles can deliver an immune-stimulating molecule directly to ovarian tumors

Cancer immunotherapy, which uses drugs that stimulate the body's immune cells to attack tumors, is a promising approach to treating many types of cancer. However, it doesn't work well for some tumors, including ovarian cancer.

31 Oct 2025

New chemotherapeutic agent shows remarkable efficacy against multiple tumor types

A research team led by the Medical University of Vienna, the HUN-REN Research Centre for Natural Sciences and the Eötvös Loránd University in Budapest has developed a groundbreaking new chemotherapeutic agent, LiPyDau, which shows remarkable efficacy against multiple tumor types in preclinical studies.

30 Oct 2025

Rapamycin shows promise in treating cold tumors with specific gene mutation

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) emerged in the US about 15 years ago as an exciting class of cancer treatments that have achieved complete and durable remissions for thousands of people with end-stage metastatic cancers.

29 Oct 2025

Study finds up to 5% of Americans carry genetic mutations linked to increased cancer susceptibility

New Cleveland Clinic research reveals that up to 5% of Americans – approximately 17 million people – carry genetic mutations or "variants" linked to increased cancer susceptibility, regardless of risk factors like personal or family cancer history.

27 Oct 2025

How COVID mRNA vaccines may make cancer treatments more effective

Researchers found that COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, when given within 100 days of starting immune checkpoint inhibitors, were linked to significantly longer survival in lung and melanoma cancer patients. The vaccines trigger a powerful type-I interferon response that primes tumors to become more responsive to immunotherapy.

23 Oct 2025

Study shows mRNA-based COVID vaccines enhance effectiveness of immune checkpoint therapy

Patients with cancer who received mRNA-based COVID vaccines within 100 days of starting immune checkpoint therapy were twice as likely to be alive three years after beginning treatment, according to a new study led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

22 Oct 2025

Largest trial of adjuvant pembrolizumab in Merkel cell carcinoma reports key benefit

A new cancer clinical trial by the ECOG-ACRIN Cancer Research Group (ECOG-ACRIN) shows that a drug that utilizes the body's immune system to target and eliminate cancer cells appeared to reduce the risk of distant metastases for an aggressive form of skin cancer when given immediately after surgery, but did not significantly reduce the overall risk of recurrence, which was a co-primary endpoint of the trial.

21 Oct 2025

CRATERs identified as key sites for T cell-mediated tumor destruction

Like the surface of the moon, new research published today in Cell finds the existence of craters on the surface of melanoma cells that serve as immune hubs, becoming major sites for tumor killing. These craters could serve as good markers for immunotherapy success.

17 Oct 2025

Thymic health found to predict immunotherapy success in cancer patients

The health of the thymus - a key part of the body's immune system - is associated with cancer patients' outcomes to immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment, according to a ground-breaking international study reported at ESMO 2025.

16 Oct 2025

Nanoparticle vaccine shows promise in preventing multiple cancers in mice

A study led by University of Massachusetts Amherst researchers demonstrates that their nanoparticle-based vaccine can effectively prevent melanoma, pancreatic and triple-negative breast cancer in mice.

9 Oct 2025

Next-generation imaging promises sharper, deeper view of living tissues

A University of Arizona research team will receive nearly $2.7 million from the NIH's Common Fund Venture Program to advance next-generation imaging technologies that allow deeper, clearer views inside the body without the need for invasive procedures.

7 Oct 2025

Bio-Rad extends partnership with Gencurix through strategic agreement for Droplet Digital™ PCR IVD oncology kits in Europe

Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., a global leader in life science research and clinical diagnostics products, and Gencurix, Inc., a leading Korean developer of oncology testing solutions, today announced the signing of a strategic agreement establishing Bio-Rad as the exclusive distributor of Gencurix' CE-IVD Droplex™ digital PCR oncology testing kits throughout Europe.

3 Oct 2025

Global cancer cases and deaths expected to soar by 2050 despite advances in treatment

There has been a rapid increase in the global number of cancer cases and deaths between 1990 and 2023, despite advances in cancer treatment and efforts to tackle cancer risk factors over that same time period.

24 Sep 2025

Scientists show for the first time how fibroblasts go 'rogue' in different diseases

Scientists have mapped underappreciated scaffolding cells in skin, known as fibroblasts. They show for the first time how fibroblasts go 'rogue' in many different diseases affecting multiple organs – from acne and psoriasis, to rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease.

24 Sep 2025

Study identifies immune biomarkers for personalized therapies in pediatric germ cell tumors

A study conducted by the Molecular Oncology Research Center (CPOM) at Hospital de Amor in Barretos (formerly Barretos Cancer Hospital) in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, has identified possible biomarkers that could guide the development of more personalized therapies for pediatric germ cell tumors (GCTs).

18 Sep 2025

New findings show lymph nodes educate T cells to combat disease

A team of researchers, led by the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity (Doherty Institute), explored the cellular and molecular interactions revealing how lymph nodes play a crucial role in the fight against chronic infection and cancer.

17 Sep 2025

Melanoma

Overview

Malignant Melanoma

What are the Statistics of Melanoma?

How is Melanoma Diagnosed and Treated?

Feature Articles

Melanoma Research

Melanoma Symptoms and Cause

Metastatic Melanoma

Melanoma History

Melanoma Prognosis

Managing Choroidal Melanomas

Choroidal Melanoma

Latest Melanoma News and Research

Breakthrough research offers first targeted treatment option for NRAS-mutant melanoma

New approach harnesses tumor's own machinery to produce immune-stimulating molecules

Hijacking cellular machinery within cancer cells to promote antitumor immunity

Study reveals how melanoma evolves to resist immunotherapy

Novel nanoparticles can deliver an immune-stimulating molecule directly to ovarian tumors

New chemotherapeutic agent shows remarkable efficacy against multiple tumor types

Rapamycin shows promise in treating cold tumors with specific gene mutation

Study finds up to 5% of Americans carry genetic mutations linked to increased cancer susceptibility

How COVID mRNA vaccines may make cancer treatments more effective

Study shows mRNA-based COVID vaccines enhance effectiveness of immune checkpoint therapy

Largest trial of adjuvant pembrolizumab in Merkel cell carcinoma reports key benefit

CRATERs identified as key sites for T cell-mediated tumor destruction

Thymic health found to predict immunotherapy success in cancer patients

Nanoparticle vaccine shows promise in preventing multiple cancers in mice

Next-generation imaging promises sharper, deeper view of living tissues

Bio-Rad extends partnership with Gencurix through strategic agreement for Droplet Digital™ PCR IVD oncology kits in Europe

Global cancer cases and deaths expected to soar by 2050 despite advances in treatment

Scientists show for the first time how fibroblasts go 'rogue' in different diseases

Study identifies immune biomarkers for personalized therapies in pediatric germ cell tumors

New findings show lymph nodes educate T cells to combat disease

Redefining control and consistency in anaerobic microbiome workflows

AI in Healthcare: How generative tools are transforming clinical practice

The future of automation: Machine learning–driven hepatocyte and organoid counting

Melanoma

Overview

Feature Articles

Melanoma Research

Melanoma Symptoms and Cause

Metastatic Melanoma

Melanoma History

Melanoma Prognosis

Managing Choroidal Melanomas

Choroidal Melanoma

Latest Melanoma News and Research

Redefining control and consistency in anaerobic microbiome workflows

AI in Healthcare: How generative tools are transforming clinical practice

The future of automation: Machine learning–driven hepatocyte and organoid counting

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