Melanoma News and Research

Latest Melanoma News and Research

Melanoma is being overdiagnosed

New research published online by the British Medical Journal (BMJ) today (Thursday 4 August 2005) suggests that melanoma is being overdiagnosed in the United States.

3 Aug 2005

Radiation helps eye cancer patients retain vision

Doctors in the United Kingdom have determined that patients suffering from cancer affecting their eye can usually avoid visual handicap, loss of the eye and spread of the disease by receiving proton beam radiation therapy, according to a new study

1 Aug 2005

Amazing 'smart bomb' drug zaps cancer cells in mice without damaging healthy cells

Scientists say they have developed an anti-cancer 'bomb' which has a similar behavior to a Trojan horse.

28 Jul 2005

Cancer biology, pharmacology and engineering combine to create cancer smart bomb

Imagine a cancer drug that can burrow into a tumor, seal the exits and detonate a lethal dose of anti-cancer toxins, all while leaving healthy cells unscathed.

27 Jul 2005

Combined computed tomography (CT) and positron emission tomography (PET) - may detect the spread of head and neck cancer more accurately

"PET/CT is very helpful in determining where we should pinpoint our biopsies for recurrent disease," said Dr. Carol Shores, assistant professor of otolaryngology/head and neck surgery at UNC and the report's senior author. Shores is a member of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.

26 Jul 2005

U-M Health System study finds patient education video is excellent teaching tool but doctors are better at calming fears

In an age when people often learn health information from surfing the Web and watching television shows set in hospitals, researchers have found that showing patients an educational video about their condition teaches them the facts about their disease even better than when their doctor tells them about the condition.

26 Jul 2005

Gene that regulates normal embryonic development is found at high levels in virtually all forms of breast cancer

A gene that appears to help regulate normal embryonic development is found at high levels in virtually all forms of breast cancer, according to a new study led by Laszlo Radvanyi, Ph.D., associate professor of breast and melanoma medical oncology at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

25 Jul 2005

Provectus to begin clinical trials of new cancer treatment, PV-10

Provectus Pharmaceuticals announced today that it has obtained final clearance to begin the first Phase 1 clinical trial of PV-10, the Company's lead cancer treatment.

21 Jul 2005

Role of IL-24 in regulating the immune system

Researchers at Introgen Therapeutics and their collaborators at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have published new findings on the role of IL-24 in regulating the immune system in the current online issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology.

21 Jul 2005

Pineapple stems that show anti-tumour activity

Scientists at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR) have discovered two molecules from pineapple stems that show anti-tumour activity in laboratory studies. One molecule called CCS blocks a protein called Ras, which is defective in approximately 30% of all cancers. The other molecule called CCZ, stimulates the body's own immune system to target and kill cancer cells.

19 Jul 2005

New method may accelerate the way cancer-causing genes are found

Researchers at the University of Minnesota Cancer Center and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) have discovered a new method that could accelerate the way cancer-causing genes are found and could lead to a more accurate identification of the genes, according to two studies in the July 14, 2005, issue of Nature.

13 Jul 2005

Curcumin has potent anticancer powers

Curcumin, a spice commonly used in curries and other south Asian cooking, blocks a key biological pathway needed for development of melanoma and other cancers, say researchers from the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

12 Jul 2005

Researchers have pinpointed specific gene and protein over-production in metastatic melanoma

Gene amplification is a process that often happens in cancer cells when the normal DNA replication process is altered, causing many copies of the gene to be produced instead of a single copy of a region of a chromosome.

12 Jul 2005

Sunscreen plays a much more important role than just protecting against sunburn

The number of nevi, or moles, a person has is known to be a strong predictor of the future risk of developing skin cancer, particularly melanoma, the most deadly form of the disease. This number also is believed to be affected by the amount of sun exposure an individual receives.

12 Jul 2005

Good news for curry wallahs, ingredient helps fight cancer

In good news for curry wallahs, researchers are saying that a compound that makes curry yellow could help fight skin cancer.

11 Jul 2005

Researchers have discovered how p16 gene works

University of Minnesota researchers have discovered how a gene that suppresses the development of melanoma and other human cancers works. The study points the way to treatments based on the function of the gene.

11 Jul 2005

Zebrafish provides cancer researchers powerful new insights into the development of malignant melanoma

The embryo of a tiny, silvery tropical fish found in many home aquariums is providing cancer researchers at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine with powerful new insights into the development of malignant melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.

20 Jun 2005

Detection levels of deadly form of melanoma remains the same

Despite campaigns promoting early detection and increased awareness of melanoma (skin cancer) the proportion of the most aggressive and deadly form of melanoma remains the same, according to an article in the June issue of Archives of Dermatology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

20 Jun 2005

High exposure to the sun halves risk of prostate cancer

Cancer researchers in the U.S. say that high exposure to the sun halved the risk of prostate cancer in men participating in a U.S. trial.

16 Jun 2005

Exposure to sunlight may decrease the risk of prostate cancer

In the largest such study to date, a research team from three cancer centers measured sunlight exposure in men and found that increased exposure to sunlight may decrease the risk of prostate cancer.

15 Jun 2005