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.

Managing Choroidal Melanomas

Malignant Melanoma

Choroidal Melanoma

Melanoma Prognosis

What are the Statistics of Melanoma?

Melanoma Symptoms and Cause

Metastatic Melanoma

How is Melanoma Diagnosed and Treated?

Melanoma Research

Melanoma History

Latest Melanoma News and Research

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

CRISPR-GPT helps scientists to generate designs, analyze data and troubleshoot design flaws

Stanford Medicine researchers have developed an artificial intelligence tool to help scientists better plan gene-editing experiments.

16 Sep 2025

Targeting telomere damage offers new path to boost cancer immunotherapy

Tumors are stressful places for cancer-fighting immune cells. Low oxygen, high acid levels, and other stressors put strain on mitochondria, the cell's energy factories, leading to T cell exhaustion and poor cancer outcomes.

10 Sep 2025

New drug candidate STF 1623 activates innate immunity in solid tumors

Cancer immunotherapy, which primes the body's immune system to fight off tumors, has historically focused on harnessing T cells' natural ability to recognize and attack cancer cells.

5 Sep 2025

Targeting ADAR1 offers new hope against glioblastoma

The most common and aggressive type of adult brain cancer, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is notoriously resistant to treatment, with a median survival of just 14 months following diagnosis.

5 Sep 2025

Plant-derived carotenoid found to boost immune response against cancer

In a new study, researchers from the University of Chicago discovered that zeaxanthin, a plant-derived carotenoid best known for protecting vision, may also act as an immune-boosting compound by strengthening the cancer-fighting activity of immune cells.

2 Sep 2025

Cancer-related nerve injury triggers inflammation and immunotherapy resistance

Cancer cells can break down the protective covers around nerves, causing nerve injury that triggers chronic inflammation leading to immune exhaustion and eventual resistance to immunotherapy, according to new research from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

1 Sep 2025

Researchers identify genetic toolkit to reprogram cells into immune sentinels

An international team led by researchers at Lund University in Sweden has identified the molecular tools needed to reprogram ordinary cells into specialized immune cells.

29 Aug 2025

Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D identified as a potential biomarker for skin cancer screening

Skin cancer, the most common global malignancy, is linked to ultraviolet (UV)-driven serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D)synthesis, with its controversial role possibly reflecting cumulative UV exposure.

27 Aug 2025

New study uncovers a surprising mechanism of resistance to immunotherapy

A new international study led by researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center, the Karolinska Institutet and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has uncovered a surprising mechanism of resistance to immunotherapy: cancer's ability to injure nearby nerves.

21 Aug 2025