Melanoma
hideMelanoma (pronounced /ˌmɛləˈnoʊmə/ ( listen)) is a malignant tumor of melanocytes which are found predominantly in skin but also in the bowel and the eye (see uveal melanoma). It is one of the less common types of skin cancer but causes the majority of skin cancer related deaths. Malignant melanoma is a serious type of skin cancer. It is due to uncontrolled growth of pigment cells, called melanocytes. Despite many years of intensive laboratory and clinical research, the sole effective cure is surgical resection of the primary tumor before it achieves a Breslow thickness greater than 1 mm.
Around 160,000 new cases of melanoma are diagnosed nationally each year, and it is more frequent in males and Caucasians. It is more common in Caucasian populations living in sunny climates than in other groups. According to a WHO report about 48,000 melanoma related deaths occur worldwide per year.
Malignant melanoma accounts for 75 percent of all deaths associated with skin cancer.
The treatment includes surgical removal of the tumor, adjuvant treatment, chemo- and immunotherapy, or radiation therapy.
For more information about Melanoma, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
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News tagged with melanoma
Protein Markers Predict Risk of Melanoma Recurrence
Dec 03, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A new prognostic tool that can determine the risk of recurrence in melanoma patients has been developed by researchers at Yale Cancer Center. The technology, based on five proteins expressed in melanoma tissue, ...
Laser therapy can aggravate skin cancer
Nov 20, 2009 |
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High irradiances of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) should not be used over melanomas. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Cancer studied the pain relieving, anti-inflammatory 'cold laser', finding that it cau ...
Text message reminders can encourage healthy action
Nov 16, 2009 |
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People who received daily text messages reminding them to apply sunscreen were nearly twice as likely to use it as those who did not receive such messages, a new study led by a UC Davis Health System dermatologist has found. ...
Quarter of a million children in England at risk of skin cancer from sunbeds
Nov 12, 2009 |
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An estimated quarter of a million 11-17 year olds in England are being put at increased risk of developing malignant melanoma by using sunbeds, warn researchers in a letter to this week's BMJ.
Hundreds of genes distinguish patients likely to survive advanced melanoma
Nov 09, 2009 |
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Although the chances of surviving advanced melanoma aren't very good with current therapies, some patients can live for years with cancer that has spread beyond the skin to other organs. Now it may be possible to identify ...
Study provides insights into the molecular basis of tumor cell behavior
Nov 05, 2009 |
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A new study by a team of researchers led by Crislyn D'Souza-Schorey, associate professor of biological sciences at the University of Notre Dame, sheds light on the molecular basis by which tumor cells modulate their surroundings ...
Radiation after surgery reduces chance of melanoma returning
Nov 02, 2009 |
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High-risk melanoma patients who are treated with radiation after surgery have a significantly lower risk of their cancer returning to the lymph nodes (19 percent), compared to those patients who do not have radiation therapy ...
Switching immunosuppressants reduces cancer risk in kidney
Nov 02, 2009 |
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Switching to a newer type of immunosuppressant drug may reduce the high rate of skin cancer after kidney transplantation, according to research being presented at the American Society of Nephrology's 42nd Annual Meeting and ...
EphA4 -- the molecular transformer
Chemistry / Analytical Chemistry
Oct 23, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- EphA4 is a protein which is attached to the surfaces of many types of human cells and plays a role in a wide range of biological processes. EphA4 functions by binding to ephrin ligands, cell ...
Melanoma treatment options one step closer
Oct 20, 2009 |
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A targeted chemotherapy for the treatment of skin cancer is one step closer, after a team of University of Alberta researchers successfully synthesized a natural substance that shows exceptional potential to specifically ...
Resident physicians seldom trained in skin cancer examination
Oct 19, 2009 |
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Many resident physicians are not trained in skin cancer examinations, nor have they ever observed or practiced the procedure, according to a report in the October issue of Archives of Dermatology.
Study: Cancer may pass from mother to unborn child
Oct 14, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A new study has provided genetic evidence for the first time that it is possible for a mother to transmit cancer to her unborn child via the placenta.
New tracer for better melanoma image
Chemistry / Analytical Chemistry
Oct 06, 2009 |
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The Australian research published this week in the American Chemical Society's Journal of Medicinal Chemistry describes a new radiopharmaceutical tracer that promises to give clearer pictures of melanoma and could lead t ...
A potential new imaging agent for early diagnosis of most serious skin cancer
Sep 30, 2009 |
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Scientists in Australia are reporting development and testing in laboratory animals of a potential new material for diagnosing malignant melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer. Their study is scheduled ...
New drug shows promise in the fight against malignant melanoma
Sep 29, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Gavin Robertson is not a man who uses the word ‘hate’ lightly, but he makes no secret of his desire to slay the dragon that is malignant melanoma.
