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

Existing drug may be effective in treating SARS-CoV-2

Scientists from the University of Chicago have found that the drug masitinib may be effective in treating COVID-19.

2 Aug 2021

Melanoma mutations result from a chemical conversion in DNA fueled by sunlight, study reports

The mutations that give rise to melanoma result from a chemical conversion in DNA fueled by sunlight -; not just a DNA copying error as previously believed, reports a study by Van Andel Institute scientists published today in Science Advances.

30 Jul 2021

Removing RNA-binding protein in subtype of leukemia can help to slow the cancer's development

Removing a protein that is often overexpressed in a rare and aggressive subtype of leukemia can help to slow the cancer's development and significantly increase the likelihood of survival, according to a study in mice led by scientists at the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.

28 Jul 2021

Biomarker shows potential to predict immunotherapy benefit for breast cancer patients

A biomarker that has proven to be a predictor for response to immunotherapies in melanoma patients also has clinical relevance for breast cancer patients, according to a new study published in Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

27 Jul 2021

Study brings scientists one step closer to solving the mystery of aging

The human body is essentially made up of trillions of living cells. It ages as its cells age, which happens when those cells eventually stop replicating and dividing.

23 Jul 2021

Antibiotics may be the new weapon to fight against melanoma

Some antibiotics appear to be effective against a form of skin cancer known as melanoma. Researchers at KU Leuven, Belgium, examined the effect of these antibiotics on patient-derived tumours in mice. Their findings were published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.

22 Jul 2021

Existing drug may be effective in treating COVID-19

A new University of Chicago study has found that the drug masitinib may be effective in treating COVID-19.

21 Jul 2021

Researchers use information theory to monitor resistance mechanisms to targeted cancer therapy

One of the major challenges in modern cancer therapy is the adaptive response of cancer cells to targeted therapies: initially, these therapies are very often effective, then adaptive resistance occurs, allowing the tumor cells to proliferate again.

21 Jul 2021

Study shows promise of combining radiation therapy with dendritic-cell vaccines for breast cancer

A research team led by Fumito Ito, MD, PhD, FACS, of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center reports new data on the promise of combining standard treatment for breast cancer with a particular form of cancer immmunotherapy -; dendritic-cell (DC) treatment vaccines.

20 Jul 2021

T cells can be engineered to fight tumors without succumbing to exhaustion

Fighting a tumor is a marathon, not a sprint. For cancer-fighting T cells, the race is sometimes just too long, and the T cells quit fighting. Researchers even have a name for this phenomenon: T cell exhaustion.

19 Jul 2021

A small molecule inhibitor shows promise to reduce the growth of uveal melanoma

Uveal melanoma, or UM, is a rare and deadly cancer of the eye, and the mortality rate has remained unimproved for 40 years. Half of the melanomas spread to other organs of the body, causing death in less than a year, so new treatments to preserve vision and prevent death are an urgent need.

15 Jul 2021

Scientists discover potential marker for the success of immunotherapy in lung cancer patients

Lung cancer has the highest mortality rate of all cancers, and treatment options are extremely limited, especially for patients with oncogenic mutations in the KRAS gene.

8 Jul 2021

Skin pigmentation mechanism confers major protection against UV-related cancers

A skin pigmentation mechanism that can darken the color of human skin as a natural defense against ultraviolet (UV)-associated cancers has been discovered by scientists at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH).

7 Jul 2021

New PET imaging method tracks immunotherapeutic efficacy in mouse models

Several cancer tumors grow through immunosuppression; that is, they manipulate biological systems in their microenvironments and signal to a specific set of immune cells--those that clear out aberrant cells--to stop acting. It is no wonder that immunotherapy designed to re-establish anti-tumor immunity is rapidly becoming the treatment of choice for these cancers.

2 Jul 2021

EORTC partners with Pierre Fabre to support patients with stage 2 melanoma

European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) and Pierre Fabre today announced a strategic partnership in support of patients with resected Stage 2 BRAF-mutant melanoma.

29 Jun 2021

UTHSC researchers publish new findings on how obesity impacts cancer treatments

Liza Makowski, PhD, professor in the Department of Medicine and the UTHSC Center for Cancer Research, has long been interested in how the immune system is altered by obesity and how this impacts cancer risk and treatment.

25 Jun 2021

Researchers trace gecko’s skin tumors to a gene implicated in deadly cancer

The leopard gecko's name was Mr. Frosty, and he was hard to miss. Yellow bands striped his back, and uncommonly white skin peeked out from speckles on his head and tail.

25 Jun 2021

New dietary fiber formulation improves the potency of cancer immunotherapies

Many people don't realize that the trillions of bacteria, viruses, and fungi residing within the gastrointestinal tract--collectively called the gut microbiome-- are connected to overall health, and specifically to cancer.

24 Jun 2021

SARS-CoV N protein elicits production of IFN-β by provoking ubiquitination of RIG-I, finds study

A recent study published in Frontiers in Immunology focuses on the roles of the SADS-CoV N protein in IFN suppression during infection.

23 Jun 2021

Cancer immunotherapy may self-limit its efficacy in fighting tumors, study finds

Cancer immunotherapy involving drugs that inhibit CTLA-4 also activates an unwanted response that may self-limit its efficacy in fighting tumors, according to a new study led by Francesco Marangoni, Ph.D., assistant professor of physiology & biophysics and member of the Institute for Immunology at the University of California, Irvine.

22 Jun 2021