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Melanoma Drug's Link to Other Skin Cancers Identified
Posted 18 Jan 2012 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Jan. 18 – The recently approved drug vemurafenib (Zelboraf) has been hailed as a breakthrough in the treatment of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. But roughly one-quarter of patients who take the medication develop a troublesome side effect: secondary skin cancers called squamous cell carcinomas. Now, a new study by researchers at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of California, Los Angeles, and colleagues identifies the specific genetic mechanism that causes this side effect. "What we found is that vemurafenib blocks the mutation that makes the melanoma grow, but when patients have skin cells with another mutation that's probably induced from sun exposure, there the drug has the exact opposite effect and causes these squamous cell cancers to grow," said Dr. Antoni Ribas, co-senior author of the study and an associate professor of ... Read more
Related support groups: Skin Cancer, Melanoma, Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Zelboraf, Vemurafenib
Drop in Melanoma Deaths Limited to Educated Whites: Study
Posted 16 Jan 2012 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, Jan. 16 – Recent declines in death rates due to the skin cancer melanoma among white Americans appear to be limited to those with higher levels of education, researchers have found. The findings reveal a widening education-related disparity in melanoma death rates and highlight the need for early-detection strategies to effectively target high-risk, low-educated whites, the American Cancer Society researchers said. The investigators noted that overall melanoma death rates among white men and women aged 25 to 64 in the United States have been declining since the early 1990s, but it hasn't been known if death rates among whites might vary depending on a person's socioeconomic status, a term used to describe their levels of income and education. To examine the issue, the researchers reviewed death certificates from 26 states and found that melanoma deaths declined about 10 percent ... Read more
Related support groups: Skin Cancer, Melanoma
Previous Cancer May Up Melanoma Risk
Posted 19 Dec 2011 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, Dec. 19 – A new study finds that cancer survivors are at increased risk for cutaneous melanoma, one of the most aggressive forms of skin cancer. The highest risk is among those previously diagnosed with melanoma. Cutaneous melanoma is the fifth most commonly diagnosed cancer in U.S. men and the seventh most commonly diagnosed cancer in U.S. women. Incidence of the cancer is increasing, and death rates from the disease have decreased little, despite survival gains for other types of cancer, according to background information in the study. Ultraviolet radiation exposure is the greatest risk factor for cutaneous melanoma, but race and genetics also influence the risk. In this study, researchers analyzed data from about 70,800 U.S. patients who were diagnosed with cutaneous melanoma as a first primary cancer (median age of 54 at time of diagnosis) and 6,353 patients who were ... Read more
Related support groups: Melanoma
Targeted Drugs, Lung CT Screening Top Cancer Advances in 2011
Posted 6 Dec 2011 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Dec. 6 – As the war against cancer continues, a group representing U.S. oncologists has picked its "Top Five" list of advances in cancer care for 2011. Leading the list are approvals for a bevy of new, targeted drugs for tough-to-treat malignancies, plus promising results suggesting CT chest scans may be an early-detection screen for lung cancer. The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) this week issued its annual report on progress against cancer. The report was published online Dec. 5 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. "The big news has been targeted drug therapy," noted Dr. Nicholas Vogelzang, head of the section of genitourinary cancer at the Nevada Cancer Institute in Las Vegas and co-executive editor of the report. "We now have drugs that are very selective for some solid tumors. We now have [new] drugs affecting melanoma and lung cancer, which is pretty ... Read more
Related support groups: Breast Cancer, Lung Cancer, Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, Aromasin, Melanoma, Xalkori, Exemestane, Zelboraf, Ipilimumab, Yervoy, Crizotinib, Vemurafenib
MelaFind Device Approved to Detect Melanoma
Posted 2 Nov 2011 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 2 – MelaFind – a device that creates digital images of suspicious skin growths and compares them to a database of thousands of scans to analyze for signs of melanoma skin cancer – has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The non-invasive diagnostic can help doctors decide whether to biopsy skin growths in their early stages, when skin cancer is nearly 100 percent curable, device maker Mela Sciences said in a news release. Melanoma, if not caught in its earliest stages, is the deadliest form of skin cancer. It accounts for about 75 percent of skin cancer deaths, the company said. While the new technology can recommend to doctors whether to perform a biopsy, it is not intended to confirm a clinical diagnosis of melanoma, Mela said. The company is based in Irvington, N.Y. More information The U.S. National Cancer Institute has more about melanoma. Read more
Related support groups: Melanoma
More Evidence Links Tanning Beds to Higher Skin Cancer Risk
Posted 24 Oct 2011 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, Oct. 24 – Roughly 10 percent of Americans continue to use indoor tanning beds, but new research suggests that doing so increases their risk for three common skin cancers, including basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma. In conducting the study, researchers tracked the tanning bed use of more than 73,000 nurses – first during high school and college, and then when the women were between 25 and 35 years of age. The study found that tanning beds increased skin cancer risk over time, with a "dose-response effect." That means the more visits to the tanning salon, the higher the woman's risk for skin cancer. Compared with women who didn't use tanning beds, the risk for basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma jumped 15 percent for every four visits to an indoor tanning bed each year. The risk for melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, also ... Read more
Related support groups: Skin Cancer, Basal Cell Carcinoma, Melanoma, Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Skin Cancer Check May Come With New Hairdo
Posted 24 Oct 2011 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, Oct. 17 – A trusted hairdresser may be privvy to your deepest secrets – your age, your real hair color and maybe even the name of your plastic surgeon. Your stylist also may be the first to spot the telltale signs of deadly skin cancer. "Hairdressers and barbers can potentially play a key role in detection of early melanoma if they are trained on how to look at the skin for atypical moles and lesions while they are taking care of their customer's hair," said Alan C. Geller, a senior lecturer in Society, Human Development and Health at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston and lead researcher of a new study. "They have a unique view of these high-risk sites," Geller said. If they see something questionable, they can suggest their client see a primary care physician or a dermatologist." About 6 percent of all melanomas, the deadliest type of skin cancer, are found on the ... Read more
Related support groups: Melanoma
Melanoma May Be More Aggressive in Kids
Posted 9 Oct 2011 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, Oct. 7 – Some children with melanoma are more likely to have invasive disease than adults with this potentially deadly type of skin cancer, a new study indicates. The findings suggest that there may be biological differences between childhood and adult melanoma, said the researchers at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center in Baltimore. They analyzed the medical records of 717 children and 1,368 young adults (aged 20 to 24) diagnosed with melanoma and compared sentinel lymph node biopsy results based on tumor size, tumor appearance and patient age. Sentinel lymph nodes are those that surround the tumor, and sentinel lymph node biopsy is the standard way to assess spread (metastasis) of the cancer and determine treatment. Cancer cells were found in the sentinel lymph nodes of 25 percent of children and 14 percent of adults who had biopsies. Tumor thickness was the strongest ... Read more
Related support groups: Melanoma
Cancer Patients Should Ask Doctors to Use Simple Terms
Posted 28 Sep 2011 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 28 – Cancer patients are often faced with many difficult-to-understand treatment choices that can have serious side effects and even mean the difference between life and death. That's why it's crucial that patients insist doctors use plain language in explaining the options, advised Angela Fagerlin, an associate professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School and a researcher at the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center. "People are making life and death decisions that may affect their survival and they need to know what they're getting themselves into. Cancer treatments and tests can be serious. Patients need to know what kind of side effects they might experience as a result of the treatment they undergo," Fagerlin said in a university news release. She and her colleagues outlined a number of tips to help patients get the information they need ... Read more
Related support groups: Cancer, Methotrexate, Provera, Breast Cancer, Lupron, Accutane, Prostate Cancer, Depo-Provera, Tamoxifen, Femara, Arimidex, Lupron Depot, Claravis, Medroxyprogesterone, Gleevec
The War on Cancer Continues
Posted 20 Sep 2011 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Sept. 20 – Forty years after President Nixon signed the National Cancer Act into law and pledged to put the country's resources to work to find better treatments for cancer, substantial victories have been scored against some, but not all, cancers. That's the core finding of a new report, the AACR Cancer Progress Report 2011, released Tuesday by the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR). The National Cancer Act promised more funding for cancer research and prevention. Since then, death rates for many cancers have dropped significantly. From 1990 to 2007, death rates for all cancers combined dropped 22 percent for men and 14 percent for women, resulting in nearly 900,000 fewer deaths during that time, according to the report. Today, more than 68 percent of adults live five years or more after being diagnosed, up from 50 percent in 1975. The five-year survival rate for ... Read more
Related support groups: Cancer, Breast Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Lung Cancer, Colorectal Cancer, Brain Tumor, Pancreatic Cancer, Ovarian Cancer, Melanoma, Cervical Cancer, Zelboraf, Ipilimumab, Vemurafenib, Yervoy
Frailty May Threaten Melanoma Survival More Than Age
Posted 31 Aug 2011 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Aug. 31 – A new study says physical frailty is more important than age at predicting poor outcomes for patients with melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer. The University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers found that young melanoma patients in poor health had worse outcomes than older patients in good physical shape. The study of 101 patients treated for stage III melanoma showed that those with decreased core muscle density were more likely to have their cancer spread to distant parts of the body, regardless of factors such as age and tumor size. Physical frailty was also associated with more complications from surgery to remove cancerous lymph nodes. "The big question is if we could reverse [degenerative muscle loss] through better nutrition and exercise, would that lead to a decreased risk of recurrence in those patients?" lead study author ... Read more
Related support groups: Melanoma
FDA Approves Zelboraf and Companion Diagnostic Test for Late-Stage Skin Cancer
Posted 17 Aug 2011 by Drugs.com
Second melanoma drug approved this year that improves overall survival August 17, 2011 - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Zelboraf (vemurafenib), a drug to treat patients with late-stage (metastatic) or unresectable (cannot be removed by surgery) melanoma, the most dangerous type of skin cancer. Zelboraf is specifically indicated for the treatment of patients with melanoma whose tumors express a gene mutation called BRAF V600E. The drug has not been studied in patients whose melanoma tests negative for that mutation by an FDA approved diagnostic. Zelboraf is being approved with a first-of-a-kind test called the cobas 4800 BRAF V600 Mutation Test, a companion diagnostic that will help determine if a patient's melanoma cells have the BRAF V600E mutation. The BRAF protein is normally involved in regulating cell growth, but is mutated in about half of the patients with ... Read more
Related support groups: Skin Cancer, Melanoma, Melanoma - Metastatic
U.S. Culture Linked to Greater Sunscreen Use Among Latinos
Posted 22 Jul 2011 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, July 22 – As melanoma rates have jumped nearly 29 percent among U.S. Latinos since 1992, their adoption of American cultural beliefs is associated with more sunscreen use, but not sun-protective clothing, new research finds. "Acculturated Latinos might have increased exposure to sun safety information via health-care access, education and expanded social networks, but display decreased engagement in some sun-safe behaviors," the study authors wrote. In conducting the study, published in the July issue of the Archives of Dermatology, researchers analyzed survey data from the U.S. National Cancer Institute and questioned 496 Latinos about sun-safe behavior, such as their use of sunscreen and whether or not they wore long-sleeved shirts and long pants or took shade for at least one hour when outside on sunny days. Researchers also asked them about their health-care access, ... Read more
Related support groups: Sunscreen, Melanoma, Coppertone
Specialists More Likely to Spot Deadly Skin Cancer
Posted 18 Jul 2011 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, July 18 – Melanoma the most dangerous type of skin cancer, can be found by patients themselves, but new research reveals that self-detection is not as effective as screenings performed by doctors. In the study, conducted by researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, the investigators found that in addition to higher rates of physician-detected melanomas, doctors also are more likely to detect thinner lesions, or cancers in the earliest stages. Advanced-stage melanoma is often deadly. At the advanced-stage, the lesions tend to be thicker, growing down into the skin. The best way to increase patients' chances of survival is to find the cancer early when the lesions are thinner. In conducting the study, published in the July 18 online edition of the Archives of Dermatology, the researchers found that doctors are more effective than patients in doing ... Read more
Related support groups: Melanoma
Vitamin D, Calcium Combo May Halve Melanoma Risk in Some Women
Posted 27 Jun 2011 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, June 27 – Certain women at risk for developing melanoma, the most severe form of skin cancer, may cut the likelihood in half by taking vitamin D/calcium supplements, a new study suggests. "It looks like there is some promising evidence for vitamin D and calcium for prevention of melanoma in a high-risk group," said lead researcher Dr. Jean Tang, an assistant professor of dermatology at Stanford University School of Medicine. The women most at risk of developing the life-threatening cancer are those who have had a previous non-melanoma form of skin cancer, such as basal cell or squamous cell cancer, the researchers said. Vitamin D and calcium are well-known for their roles in bone growth, but they also affect other cells in the body. Some studies have shown that vitamin D and calcium are associated with lower risk of colon, breast, prostate and other cancers, the researchers ... Read more
Related support groups: Vitamin D, Tums, Vitamin D3, Caltrate, Calcium Carbonate, Melanoma, Cholecalciferol, Ergocalciferol, Drisdol, Oyster, Oyster Shell, Os-Cal 500, Os-Cal, Oysco 500, Titralac
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