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.

A highly magnified view of melanoma tumours growing in the skin. CD169+ macrophages are shown in green and yellow, forming a biological boundary wall to contain the tumours. Image courtesy Garvan Institute of Medical Research For the first time, researchers have observed macrophages attacking melanoma cells in real time and identified a subpopulation of the immune cells involved in resisting the skin cancer. The findings, published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, rev

Image by freepik The composition of gut bacteria can predict which melanoma patients will experience cancer recurrence after surgical resection and immunotherapy, but only when matched to patients with similar microbial profiles, according to research published April 17 in Cell. The findings from a 674-patient international clinical trial offer a novel approach to stratifying recurrence risk in high-risk melanoma patients undergoing adjuvant immune checkpoint blockade. Resear