Melanoma News and Research

Latest Melanoma News and Research

Removal of ovaries during hysterectomy increases risk of death, outweighs benefits

Results of a landmark study led by a doctor at John Wayne Cancer Institute at Saint John's Health Center raises serious questions about the long-term survival benefits of removing a woman's ovaries during routine hysterectomy.

20 Apr 2009

Nanoparticle delivery of a fully functioning copy of P53 tumor suppressor gene

Dr. Esther Chang describes the most recent developments in human trials of the first systemic, non-viral, tumor-targeted, nanoparticle method designed to restore normal gene function to tumor cells while completely bypassing normal tissue April 21 at an American Association of Anatomists (AAA) scientific session at Experimental Biology 2009 in New Orleans.

20 Apr 2009

Brain metastases hijack neuron-supporting cells to resist chemotherapy

Cancer that spreads to other organs finds a particularly inviting hideout in the brain, where these metastases are usually far harder to treat than they are in other locations.

20 Apr 2009

Protein Mcl-1 identified as new therapeutic target for melanoma

A protein called Mcl-1 plays a critical role in melanoma cell resistance to a form of apoptosis called anoikis, according to research published this week in Molecular Cancer Research.

16 Apr 2009

Gene mutation the trigger for deadly melanoma

According to British researchers as many as 70% of melanoma skin cancers may be triggered by a gene mutation.

13 Apr 2009

New approach for surveying phosphorylation

Scientists have developed a new approach for surveying phosphorylation, a process that is regulated by critical cell signaling pathways and regulates several key cellular signaling events.

12 Apr 2009

Researchers reveal how immune cells can be harnessed to target melanoma

Researchers at the Babraham Institute and the University of Catanzaro "Magna Graecia", Italy, co-ordinating an international network of scientists and clinicians from Europe, the USA and Japan, have identified new mechanisms through which the immune system recognises and responds to tumours like melanomas.

12 Apr 2009

Many skin cancer patients do not receive sentinel lymph node biopsy

Although clinical practice guidelines recommend sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsy for many patients with clinically node-negative melanoma, a new analysis from the National Cancer Database (NCDB) of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) has found approximately half of patients do not receive recommended evaluation of their lymph nodes and that the type of health insurance a patient has, the type of hospital delivering treatment, and the hospital's geographic region are all associated with provider compliance with those guidelines.

9 Apr 2009

Important discover in cancer metastases

If cancer cells lack a certain protein, it could be much easier for them to penetrate healthy body tissue, the first step towards forming metastases.

9 Apr 2009

Discovery of mechanism of cell type-specific signaling in tumor development

Mayo Clinic researchers have discovered the mechanisms behind two key checkpoints in cell growth and development - factors that may ultimately allow investigators to benchmark progression of tumor cells or stop them from further development.

8 Apr 2009

Deadly skin cancer now threatens women in their twenties

The deadliest form of skin cancer has now become the most common kind of cancer for women in their 20s - according to the latest figures from Cancer Research UK which launches its 2009 SunSmart campaign today.

7 Apr 2009

Rak gene helps protect tumor suppressor in breast cancer

Scientists at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have discovered a gene that protects PTEN, a major tumor-suppressor that is reduced but rarely mutated in about half of all breast cancers.

6 Apr 2009

BRAF gene mutation is a crucial skin cancer switch

Up to 70 per cent of melanoma skin cancers could be triggered by a particular genetic mutation, according to a Cancer Research UK funded study published in Cancer Cell.

6 Apr 2009

Researchers at the UJI increase the efficiency of photocatalysts used in cancer treatments

Researchers at the Universitat Jaume I (UJI) in Castellon have found porous polymeric materials that increase the efficiency of traditional photocatalysts in the treatment of cancer.

6 Apr 2009

A genetic technique to distinguish benign moles from malignant melanomas

A UCSF research team has developed a technique to distinguish benign moles from malignant melanomas by measuring differences in levels of genetic markers.

30 Mar 2009

Discovery of new tumor suppressor gene

National Institutes of Health (NIH) researchers have identified a gene that suppresses tumor growth in melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.

30 Mar 2009

New marker for breast cancer metastasis

Researchers at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center have identified a new marker for breast cancer metastasis called TMEM, for Tumor Microenvironment of Metastasis.

30 Mar 2009

Discovery of major new risk factor for melanoma in young women

Researchers may have found a more potent risk factor for melanoma than blistering sunburns, freckling, or family history of the deadly skin disease.

24 Mar 2009

More cancer patients cured according to new data on cancer survival in Europe

New data and analyses from a long-running study of cancer survival in Europe have shown that the number of people actually cured of cancer - rather than just surviving for at least five years after diagnosis - is rising steadily.

23 Mar 2009