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

How is Melanoma Diagnosed and Treated?

Melanoma Research

Metastatic Melanoma

Melanoma Prognosis

Melanoma Symptoms and Cause

What are the Statistics of Melanoma?

Choroidal Melanoma

Managing Choroidal Melanomas

Melanoma History

Latest Melanoma News and Research

Engineered CD40 antibody shrinks tumors and induces remission

Over the past 20 years, a class of cancer drugs called CD40 agonist antibodies have shown great promise-and induced great disappointment.

14 Aug 2025

Nudibranchs (sea slugs) emerge as a promising source of cancer drugs

Researchers reviewed the antitumor potential of bioactive compounds from nudibranchs, marine mollusks that acquire or synthesize potent chemical defenses. These compounds, often sourced from their diet, show promising cancer-fighting activity through mechanisms like DNA damage, oxidative stress, and apoptosis.

12 Aug 2025

DKK1 identified as key driver of immune resistance in bone metastases

Many major cancers, including those of the lung, breast and prostate gland, spread to the bones as they progress.

7 Aug 2025

Gfi1 regulates exhausted CD8+ T cells to improve cancer immunotherapy

Killer immune cells destroy cancer cells and cells infected by virus. These CD8+ T cells are activated after detection of viral infection or growth of "non-self" tumor cells.

5 Aug 2025

UCLA study shows stem cells can be reprogrammed to fight cancer

In a first-of-its-kind clinical trial, UCLA scientists have shown it's possible to reprogram a patient's blood-forming stem cells to generate a continuous supply of functional T cells, the immune system's most powerful cancer-killing agents.

4 Aug 2025

Key protein found to guide melanoma cells during spread

Researchers have discovered a protein which is critical for steering melanoma cancer cells as they spread throughout the body.

1 Aug 2025

Advanced form of AI opens door to personalized cancer care

What if a computer could read a patient's medical notes and help doctors determine important information for their treatment?

1 Aug 2025

Artificial sweetener may undermine effectiveness of cancer treatment

Sucralose is a popular sugar substitute for people who are cutting calories or managing blood sugar levels, but new research by the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC Hillman Cancer Center suggests that the artificial sweetener may not be the best choice for patients undergoing cancer immunotherapy.

31 Jul 2025

Harnessing the power of gut bacteria to enhance cancer immunotherapy effectiveness

A comprehensive new review reveals both the promise and challenges of using fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) to enhance cancer immunotherapy effectiveness.

30 Jul 2025

PD-1 helps guide immune memory cells to the skin early during infection

Weill Cornell Medicine researchers have discovered that PD-1—a molecule best known for putting the brakes on immune cells—also plays a critical role in helping T cells become long-term immune defenders in the skin.

30 Jul 2025

Researchers pinpoint PRMT5 as a promising target for cancer drugs

A potential target for experimental drugs that block PRMT5 - a naturally occurring enzyme some tumors rely more on for survival - has been identified by researchers with the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute's Cancer Research Center in Washington, D.C.

26 Jul 2025

AI-designed proteins bring personalized cancer treatment within reach

Precision cancer treatment on a larger scale is moving closer after researchers have developed an AI platform that can tailor protein components and arm the patient's immune cells to fight cancer.

24 Jul 2025

Bias found in AI models diagnosing skin diseases across demographics

An international research team led by Assistant Professor Zhiyu Wan from ShanghaiTech University has recently published groundbreaking findings in the journal Health Data Science, highlighting biases in multimodal large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT-4 and LLaVA in diagnosing skin diseases from medical images.

24 Jul 2025

New mRNA vaccine strategy awakens immune system to fight cancer

An experimental mRNA vaccine boosted the tumor-fighting effects of immunotherapy in a mouse-model study, bringing researchers one step closer to their goal of developing a universal vaccine to "wake up" the immune system against cancer.

18 Jul 2025

Old chemistry unlocks safer and stronger mRNA delivery

As millions of people know firsthand, the most common side effect of mRNA vaccines like the COVID-19 shot is inflammation: soreness, redness and a day or two of malaise.

18 Jul 2025

Specially engineered antibody delivers RNA therapy to treatment-resistant tumors

A specially engineered antibody capable of delivering RNA therapies to hard-to-reach, treatment-resistant tumors significantly shrank tumor size and improved survival in animal models, according to a study published July 16 in Science Translational Medicine.

17 Jul 2025

AI tool predicts tumor aggressiveness using protein markers

As cancer cases have increased worldwide, the disease has become more complex, presenting challenges to scientific advances in diagnosis and treatment.

15 Jul 2025

WEE1 identified as a key driver of immune resistance in cancer

Immune checkpoints are regulatory proteins that prevent the immune system from attacking healthy tissues.

15 Jul 2025

Long-term survival achieved in stage III melanoma with pre-surgery immunotherapy

Four years after pre-surgery treatment with a novel combination of immune checkpoint inhibitors, nivolumab and relatlimab, 87% of patients with stage III melanoma remained alive, according to new results from a study led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

12 Jul 2025

Engineered exosomal spheres enhance melanoma immunotherapy through improved tumor penetration

This new article publication from Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B, discusses the use of engineered platelet-derived exosomal spheres for enhanced tumor penetration and extended circulation in melanoma immunotherapy.

12 Jul 2025