Melanoma News

Dermatologists Detect Thinner Melanomas (October 5, 2009)

In a study conducted at a private dermatology practice, a majority of melanomas were identified as a result of a full-body skin exam and not as a result of a patient complaint. Furthermore, melanomas detected by the dermatologist tended to be thinner... Continue Reading

Adjuvant Radiation Therapy May Improve Melanoma Outcomes (October 5, 2009)

Adjuvant radiation therapy improves local control of melanoma following therapeutic lymph node dissection for lymph node-metastatic disease and may improve disease-specific survival, according to the results of a study published in Cancer.[1] Skin cancer... Continue Reading

Experimental Vaccine Improves Melanoma Outcomes (June 5, 2009)

Experimental Vaccine Improves Melanoma Outcomes Patients with advanced melanoma experienced higher response rates and longer survival without cancer progression when treated with an experimental anticancer vaccine in addition to standard therapy. These... Continue Reading

Nexavar® Fails to Improve Melanoma Survival (May 13, 2009)

Among patients with Stage III or Stage IV melanoma that cannot be surgically removed, treatment with a combination of Nexavar® (sorafenib) and chemotherapy did not result in better survival than treatment with chemotherapy alone. The results of this... Continue Reading

Melanoma Overview (March 18, 2009)

Overview Malignant melanoma is predominantly a disease of the skin, but may in rare instances occur at other sites, including the mucous membranes (vulva, vagina, lip, throat, esophagus and perianal region), as well as in the eye (uvea and retina). Melanoma... Continue Reading

Paraplatin®, Taxol®, and Avastin® Beneficial for Metastatic Melanoma (February 9, 2009)

Paraplatin®, Taxol®, and Avastin® Beneficial for Metastatic Melanoma The combination of Paraplatin® (carboplatin), Taxol® (paclitaxel), and Avastin® (bevacizumab) is well tolerated and provides clinical benefit in patients with metastatic melanoma,... Continue Reading

What Every Woman Should Know About Cancer Screening (February 6, 2009)

By Jennifer Maxon, RN Over the past several decades, long-term cancer survival rates have been on the rise.1 These improved outcomes are largely credited to screening measures for certain types of cancers. In general, cancer that can be detected and... Continue Reading

Cancer Vaccines: Stimulating the Immune System to Attack Cancer (February 6, 2009)

As the age of personalized medicine approaches, the look and feel of cancer treatment may change dramatically. What if, rather than receiving one-size-fits all anticancer drugs, patients were treated with specially formulated treatments made to target... Continue Reading

Understanding Your Melanoma Pathology Report (February 6, 2009)

If you’ve been diagnosed with malignant melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, your physician has made this diagnosis by removing (with a biopsy) the cancerous area on your skin and examining it under a microscope. Following this examination,... Continue Reading

How to Do a Skin Self-Exam (February 6, 2009)

From the National Cancer Institute publication “What You Need to Know™ About Skin Cancer” Your doctor or nurse may suggest that you do a regular skin self-exam to check for skin cancer, including melanoma. The best time to do this exam is after... Continue Reading