Melanoma should be identified during pregnancy and then excised, since a delay in management may create an opportunity for a melanoma to advance. That’s according to Dr. Jane Margaret Grant-Kels, Professor of Dermatology, Pathology and Pediatrics, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, Conn. Speaking at a session on the evaluation and treatment of pregnant patients at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) in Denver, Dr. Grant-Kels

Changes to white blood cell counts have been linked to different survival outcomes in melanoma patients

Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have discovered that immunosuppressed patients with non-melanoma skin cancer are not missing the key cancer-fighting macrophages found in immunocompetent patients. Instead, those cells have lost the ability to communicate effectively. The researchers say this new understanding may help researchers develop new treatment approaches for these aggressive skin cancers. The study was published in Cell. Moran Amit, MD,

In photodynamic therapy, a light-sensitive drug accumulates in cancer cells and is then activated by light, producing cell-killing molecules. Microneedles can help deliver the drug and distribute light more effectively within non-melanoma skin cancer. Image by M. Requena et al. A biodegradable microneedle patch designed to deliver treatment through the skin may also guide and scatter light, potentially allowing photodynamic therapy (PDT) to treat nonmelanoma skin cancers more

Immune trajectory shifts in the pre- to post-radiotherapy (RT) tumour microenvironment in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. Courtesy of Alan Zhou, MD, ‘21 MSc. Researchers have discovered how radiotherapy alters the immune environment within cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) tumours, according to findings published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. The study reveals how radiotherapy not only eliminates cancer cells but also reprograms the surrounding tumour micro

Vashisht Gopal Yennu Nanda, Ph.D. Photo courtesy of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center report that tailoring targeted drug combinations to tumour dependence on BCL2 family proteins may restore treatment responses in patients with advanced melanoma that has progressed on standard BRAF-MEK therapy. These personalized strategies may improve outcomes in this challenging patient population and, in addi

The world’s largest genetics study of ‘moliness’ has uncovered hundreds of genes that play a role in the growth of both moles and melanoma, a discovery that could lead to new ways to prevent and treat the deadliest form of skin cancer. These findings, published in Nature Communications, come from research by a team at QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Herston, Australia. The team found risk genes linked to biological pathways that could lead to the development of a

Researchers have developed a minimally invasive 'intelligent tattoo' for the early detection of melanoma.