Skin Cancer

The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Council on Science and Research’s Research Agenda work group has identified three keys areas - pruritus, cutaneous oncology and performance measurement and outcomes - to target in the future for continuing research in the dermatology specialty.

Melanoma is a hot topic on Twitter and thanks to hashtags, it’s easy to see what everyone is saying about the disease. Here are some recent posts about #melanoma that we found interesting this week.

Photographs of skin cancers caused patients to be more likely to conduct skin self-examinations, according to results of a recent study.

A new genetic test can identify patients with nonmetastatic melanoma who are at high risk of recurrence, according to validation data presented at the 2013 summer meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Various approaches are being initiated to treat wild-type, BRAF mutated melanoma, according to the director of the Melanoma Program and co-leader of the Signal Transduction Program at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, Tenn.

Efforts to prevent and chemoprevent melanoma are ongoing, and though much still needs to be done, one expert says some inroads are being made that may impact mortality, morbidity and quality of life.

Patients with skin cancer have better odds of survival if they have more than one primary tumor, according to results of a recent study.

Many pediatric patients with melanoma do not demonstrate symptoms falling within the ABCDE detection criteria, researchers say.

One in seven survivors of basal cell carcinoma returns to indoor tanning beds despite their history of skin cancer, results of a new study indicate.

A small group of congressional leaders have teamed with dermatology groups to form a bipartisan caucus focused on addressing the epidemic of skin cancer in the United States.

Melanoma recurs in about one in 20 patients about 10 years after their initial treatment, according to a recent study.

New research suggests that there are some potential predictive biomarkers relating to the efficacy and toxicity of emerging treatments for metastatic melanoma.

There has been a rapid revolution in the treatment of metastatic melanoma since the identification of driver oncogenes such as BRAF and its mutations more than a decade ago, according to a clinical researcher at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, Tenn.

A virus injected into mice with melanoma proved effective for prompting an immune system response that killed the virus and the tumor, a recent study demonstrated.

Mohs micrographic surgery is the ideal treatment option for high-risk skin cancers occurring on the face, results of a study show.

An odor emitted by melanoma through skin cells allows the disease to be detectable noninvasively, results of a recent study indicate.

Women who contract melanoma may have higher survival rates than those of men who get the disease, due to a biologic sex trait, results of a recent study indicate.

Patients who have inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are at an increased risk of melanoma, according to study results presented recently.

Recent developments in tanning bed restrictions as well as improved sunscreen testing and labeling have raised the stakes in the ongoing battle against melanoma.

New and cutting edge technologies are proving useful for clinical diagnosis and early detection of melanoma. Depending on the diagnostic tool used, clinicians can improve their assessment of suspicious lesions and better evaluate the fine nuances differentiating benign and malignant pigmented lesions.

The FDA approved two drugs and a companion diagnostic for the treatment of advanced metastatic melanoma Wednesday, the organization announced.

Elderly patients with nonfatal skin cancers may not benefit from surgery, according to recent findings.

The Food and Drug Administration is proposing that indoor tanning beds be labeled with warnings to notify users about the risks of developing skin cancer from the devices.

Recent advances in radiation therapy for the treatment of nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) have resulted in a resurgence of targeted photon therapy, a treatment modality particularly useful in an outpatient setting. In carefully selected patients and cases, radiation therapy can often be the treatment of choice for NMSCs, says a clinician who spoke at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology.

New topical agents such as ingenol mebutate (Picato, Leo Pharma), reformulations of standing local treatments as well as combination therapies are not only proving to be very useful in the clearance of actinic keratosis (AK), but they also help address the common issues regarding field therapy.

Patients who have had nonmelanoma skin cancer are at a greater risk of contracting a secondary cancer at another site, researchers have found.

An index that combines serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels with morphology, attenuation, size and structure (MASS) criteria response helps to predict survival in patients with metastatic melanoma who take bevacizumab.

While still rare, the incidence of melanoma in children is trending upward, according to researchers who presented their findings at the annual meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research.

A quarter of patients who survive melanoma don’t use sunscreen when spending extended time outdoors, according to findings reported at the American Association of Cancer Research meeting.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie signed into law a bill that prohibits minors under age 17 from using indoor tanning facilities, and bars minors under age 14 from using spray tanning procedures.