Skin Cancer

UCLA researchers have developed a methodology to predict whether advanced melanoma patients will or will not respond to the breakthrough drug pembrolizumab (Keytruda, Merck).

TAK-33 inhibited and regressed tumor growth in melanoma cell lines and patient-derived xenograft models. This “robust” success in the lab, according to a study published in Nov. 5, 2014 in Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, justifies continued clinical development as a potential therapy for melanoma patients.

A new government study suggests costs related to nonmelanoma skin cancer and melanoma treatment have skyrocketed relative to other cancers, increasing by 126 percent to more than $8 billion.

Metastatic melanoma patients treated with sargramostim and ipilimumab experienced longer overall survival and less toxicity than patients treated with ipilimumab alone.

When researchers studied mortality from conditions with skin manifestations in developed versus developing countries, they found living in the developed world doesn’t always translate to lower death rates. Age-adjusted mortality for melanoma, for example, was about five times greater in the developed world than in developing countries.

Dermatologists need to be vigilant and more aware of the type and frequency of skin cancers that can occur in patients with darker Fitzpatrick Skin Types, an expert says. In addition to examining the “typical” sites where these tumors occur, dermatologists should also carefully inspect the oral mucosa as well as the palms and soles.

A new study provides the first mechanistic insight into the tumor-promoting role of chronic allergic contact dermatitis in skin cancer development.

SIRT6, a protein that suppresses liver and colon tumor growth, seems to have the opposite effect on skin cancer when combined with sun exposure.

A phase 2 trial of PV-10, a formulation of rose bengal, demonstrated effectiveness in the treatment of locally advanced cutaneous melanoma.

Recent studies appear to confirm greater efficacy of combination treatments over vemurafenib monotherapy in improving progression-free survival for patients with melanoma.

Researchers at Dartmouth College have discovered that BRAFV600E, often found in metastatic melanoma, is capable of modifying normal cells surrounding the tumor to encourage disease progression.

Therapeutics is one of the most significant challenges in pediatric dermatology. Children have been identified as “therapeutic orphans”, with few options that have FDA-approved pediatric indications. Access to new and novel treatments like biologics is especially limited. Supportive legislation, beginning with the Best Pharmaceuticals for Children Act (bpca.nichd.nih.gov), has marked the dawn of a new era.

If melanoma is in the differential diagnosis of a skin lesion in a pediatric patient, clinicians should remove the lesion and might also consider checking the sentinel lymph node.

Children are not small adults, even when it comes to the way they present with melanoma.

Treating a rash in a pediatric patient undergoing cancer therapy can have long-term health implications.

Members of the military have a high risk of contracting skin cancer, due in part to the climates where they are deployed, recent research suggests. And only a small portion of service members is aware of the risks of sun exposure.

The Food and Drug Administration has granted accelerated approval to pembrolizumab (Keytruda, Merck) for treatment of advanced or unresectable melanoma in patients who have stopped responding to other drugs.

Dr. Meredith Overholt, Board Certified Dermatologist, shows several pictures of actinic keratosis and explains how this condition is treated. Video by The Dr. Bob Show on the DrBobShow1 YouTube channel.

The number of monitoring visits for patients treated for localized primary melanoma can be reduced considerably, without having much effect on spotting any recurrent or new melanomas.

The leukemia drug dasatinib may prove useful for treating skin, breast and other cancers, according to recent findings.

Identifications of mutations such as those that lie in the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) promoter area are shedding light on hereditary melanoma, according to the Director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Melanoma and Pigmented Lesion Center and Professor of Dermatology at Harvard Medical School in Boston.

Advanced basal cell carcinoma (aBCC) is a term used to describe a subset of basal cell carcinomas (BCCs) that have extensive, invasive or metastatic involvement; are located near vital and sensitive areas; or are recurrent despite multiple treatments. The diagnosis of aBCC is dependent on many patient specific factors, some of which are subjective and may be open to interpretation by both the patient and provider.

Researchers have developed a spectroscopic device that combines three ways of using light to measure the properties of skin tissue and potentially detect skin cancer.

If dermatologists don’t more effectively police themselves, experts say, they may lose their ability to perform in-office dermatopathology. Dermatopathology also faces competitive pressures and aggressive fee reductions, these experts add.

Results of a new study suggest pain and itching can be an indication of skin cancer.

The U.S. Surgeon General has issued a statement citing skin cancer as a “major public health problem” and noting the danger of indoor tanning and sun exposure.

New prognostic factors may help to predict survival in patients diagnosed with thin melanoma, recent study findings suggest.

Genentech has announced that its phase 3 coBRIM study, evaluating the safety and efficacy of a combination of cobimetinib and vemurafenib for the treatment of melanoma, has met its primary endpoint.

When was the last time you got really excited about dermatology? I mean, in your bones, core-shaking, vitality-restoring, conquer the universe type of elation. If the answer is “Well, I can’t remember the last time.” or worse yet, “Maybe never?” then perhaps it is time to throw a party.

Advanced basal cell carcinoma is a term whose frequency of usage has increased recently, in part, due to the introduction of the Hedgehog pathway inhibitor, vismodegib. Advanced basal cell carcinoma (aBCC) is comprised of two subtypes of BCC associated with significant morbidity and mortality, locally advanced BCC (laBCC) and metastatic BCC (metBCC).