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

People with one albinism gene mutation may be prone to pale-colored melanomas

People with pale-colored melanomas are more likely to have a gene mutation associated with albinism, University of Queensland research has found.

25 Sep 2020

New strategic collaboration to accelerate treatments for unmet medical needs in oncology

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and Taiho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., today announced a three-year strategic collaboration to accelerate the development of treatments for significant unmet medical needs in oncology, including patients with brain metastases and those with cancers refractory to available therapies.

25 Sep 2020

KRASG12C inhibitor sotorasib shows durable clinical benefits for solid cancers

In a Phase I clinical trial for patients with advanced solid cancers marked by KRAS G12C mutations, the KRASG12C inhibitor sotorasib (AMG 510) resulted in manageable toxicities and durable clinical benefits.

21 Sep 2020

In vitro testing suggests effective novel drug combinations for SARS-CoV-2

A recent study published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in September 2020 shows the value of drug combinations to enhance the therapeutic and preventive efficacy of such repositioned drugs in standard antiviral therapy.

20 Sep 2020

Discovery could help enhance the effectiveness of immunotherapy against melanoma

Researchers at the University of Bern have discovered a mechanism in the body’s own immune system which is responsible for the maturation and activation of immune cells.

19 Sep 2020

Hannover and Rostock team up to develop non-invasive optical melanoma diagnostics

Leibniz University Hannover and Rostock University Medical Center receive funding for the development of non-invasive optical melanoma diagnostics.

17 Sep 2020

PET/MRI reduces radiation exposure, improves lesion detectability in select cancers

A single-center observational study of more than 1,000 oncological examinations has demonstrated that positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MRI) facilitates cancer staging as well as PET/computed tomography (PET/CT) and improves lesion detectability in select cancers, potentially helping to promote fast, efficient local and whole-body staging in one step.

17 Sep 2020

Study uncovers new markers present on melanoma tumors

A collaborative study led by Monash University's Biomedicine Discovery Institute and the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Research Institute has uncovered new markers (HLA-associated peptides) that are uniquely present on melanoma tumours and could pave the way for therapeutic vaccines to be developed in the fight against melanoma.

16 Sep 2020

Study provides insight into lymphomagenesis and patterns of resistance to immunotherapy

Lymphomas are a diverse group of cancers of the immune system, which is the body's primary defense against autoimmune disease, infections, and malignancy.

16 Sep 2020

UofL receives $11.5 million to accelerate the development of new immunotherapies

Cancer remains one of the most difficult and deadly challenges in human health, affecting Kentuckians at a higher rate than residents of any other state and killing more than 600,000 people each year in the U.S. alone.

14 Sep 2020

Cell signaling research rings warning bells over an emerging cancer drug target

Researchers at the Babraham Institute have used their understanding of cellular signalling to highlight a pitfall in an emerging treatment for cancer and inflammation.

14 Sep 2020

New research reverses the understanding of kidney tumor growth

Newly published research has reversed our understanding of an aspect of kidney tumor growth. Researchers at Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah (U of U) discovered that two key proteins have opposite roles than what was previously believed.

12 Sep 2020

New antitumor vaccines control melanoma growth in preclinical models

Combining their expertise in protein engineering and synthetic DNA technology, scientists at The Wistar Institute successfully delivered nanoparticle antitumor vaccines that stimulated robust CD8 T cell immunity and controlled melanoma growth in preclinical models.

11 Sep 2020

Study sheds light on how interferon-gamma drives response to immunotherapy in melanoma

A new study by researchers at the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center sheds light on how interferon-gamma (IFN-y), an immune response-stimulating signaling molecule that helps activate immune cells, guides the treatment response in people with advanced melanoma who are treated with one of the leading immunotherapies -; immune checkpoint blockade.

10 Sep 2020

DLnano-vaccines may be a promising strategy for cancer immunotherapy

Researchers designed DLnano-vaccines displaying 60 copies of protein parts derived from the melanoma-specific antigens Trp2 and Gp100 and tested these in mouse models of melanoma, observing prolonged survival that depended on CD8 T cell activation both in therapeutic and prophylactic settings.

10 Sep 2020

Nanotechnological drug delivery system enhances the effectiveness of melanoma treatment

Researchers at Tel Aviv University, led by Prof. Ronit Satchi-Fainaro of TAU's Department of Physiology and Pharmacology at the Sackler School of Medicine, have developed an innovative nanotechnological drug delivery system that significantly enhances the effectiveness of treatment for the aggressive skin cancer melanoma.

8 Sep 2020

Novel markers may predict patient response to immune checkpoint inhibitors

For many individuals with different types of cancer, immune checkpoint inhibitors can effectively boost their immune system to fight their disease, but not all patients benefit from these medications.

7 Sep 2020

Honeybee venom induces cancer cell death in aggressive breast cancer

The new study, published in the journal Nature Precision Oncology, highlights how bees can help combat breast cancer. The research team found that when the venom’s main component, when mixed with existing chemotherapy drugs, reduced tumor growth in laboratory mice.

2 Sep 2020

Scientists identify key driver in BRAF inhibitor resistant melanoma

Targeted therapy with BRAF-MEK inhibitors is an effective treatment for patients with advanced melanoma that cannot be surgically removed or has spread to other areas of the body.

2 Sep 2020

Study: BIRC2 overexpression could be a key marker for immunotherapy resistance

Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers have added to evidence that a gene responsible for turning off a cell's natural "suicide" signals may also be the culprit in making breast cancer and melanoma cells resistant to therapies that use the immune system to fight cancer.

2 Sep 2020