Research into the causes, prevention, and treatment of melanoma is going on in many medical centers around the world.
Causes, prevention, and finding melanoma early
Sunlight and UV rays
Recent studies suggest there may be 2 ways that UV rays causes melanoma. The first way is linked to a lot of sun exposure and sunburns as a child or teen. This early sun exposure may cause changes in skin cells that starts them on a path to becoming melanoma cells many years later. Some doctors think this is why melanomas often start on the legs and trunk – places that aren't often exposed to the sun in adulthood.
The second link is to melanomas that start on the arms, neck, and face. These areas are often exposed to sun, particularly in men. Tanning booths may also help either kind of melanoma develop.
Public education
Most skin cancer can be prevented. The best way to reduce the number of skin cancer cases is to educate the public, especially parents, about skin cancer risk factors and warning signs.
It is also important to find melanoma early, when it is most likely to be completely cured. Check your skin every month and be aware of the warning signs of melanoma.
The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) sponsors free skin cancer screenings around the country every year. Many local ACS offices work with the AAD to help with these screenings. Their phone number and Web address are listed in the "How can I learn more?" section.
The American Cancer Society uses the slogan, "Slip! Slop! Slap! ... and Wrap." It is a catchy way to remind yourself to slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen, slap on a hat, and wrap on sunglasses when you are going to be outdoors.
DNA research
Scientists have made a lot of progress during the past few years in learning how UV light harms DNA. Changes in DNA can cause normal skin cells to become cancer. People who have a strong family history of melanoma should talk to a cancer genetic counselor or a doctor who knows about cancer genetics to discuss the pros and cons of genetic testing.
Staging
Advances in research are also being used in staging cancer. Very sensitive new tests can better find the spread of melanoma to lymph nodes. These tests might help doctors know which patients could be helped with treatments like immunotherapy after surgery. But some doctors worry that this test can sometimes suggest that a person has cancer when they really don't. For now, the test is only being used in research studies.
Treatment
Immune therapy
New ways of boosting the immune system to fight cancer are being studied. Researchers are working on vaccines aimed at making a person's immune cells attack the melanoma cells.
Other forms of immunotherapy are also being studied. A recent small study showed that treating patients with immune system cells found in tumors could shrink melanoma tumors and possibly prolong life, too. Another study found that a type of white blood cell (T cells) that had their genes altered in the lab could cause tumors to shrink in a small number of patients. More studies of these treatments are being done.
Melanoma vaccines
Weakened melanoma cells (or certain substances found in these cells) can be given to a patient to try to make the body’s immune system kill the cancer cells. This is something like the way we use vaccines to destroy viruses that cause polio, measles, and mumps. But making a vaccine against a tumor like melanoma is harder than making a vaccine to fight a virus. Clinical trials are going on to test the value of treating people with advanced melanoma with vaccines, sometimes combined with cytokine therapy as well. The results of these studies have been mixed so far, but newer vaccines may hold more promise.
Targeted drugs
New drugs that attack genes that are not normal are being studied. One example is a gene called BRAF. This gene is changed in the cells of about half of all melanomas. Drugs that target the activity of this gene are being developed and studied in clinical trials. Drugs that target other gene or protein changes are also being studied in clinical trials. Researchers are also looking at using some of these targeted drugs along with other types of treatments, such as chemo or immunotherapy.
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