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Melanoma is a type of skin cancer. It’s less common than the other two major forms of skin cancer, which are called basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. However, melanoma is more likely than other skin cancers to spread throughout the body, which makes it the most serious form. Other names your doctor may use for this cancer include malignant melanoma and cutaneous melanoma.
Melanoma begins in melanocytes, which are cells found in the deep layers of your skin. Melanocytes produce a pigment called melanin that gives skin its color. When you are exposed to the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays or any other source of UV (such as a tanning bed), melanocytes step up production of melanin, which protects the skin and causes it to darken. However, exposure to UV rays can damage the DNA of melanocytes and cause them to grow uncontrollably. Having certain gene mutations may make you more likely to develop melanoma.
Melanoma commonly occurs on parts of the body that get the most sun exposure, including the face, neck, chest, back, arms, and legs. However, melanoma can arise on any part of the body. While uncommon, melanoma can even affect the eyes or genitals.
There are four main types of melanomas. They include:
Doctors determine which type of melanoma a patient has by viewing a sample of skin cells under a microscope. Identifying the melanoma type is important for giving the patient a prognosis and deciding on a treatment plan.
Melanoma differs from the two other major forms of skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, in three key ways:
The melanoma treatment plan your doctor recommends will depend on several factors, including the size (or depth) of the tumor, and whether the malignancy was detected early, before it could spread, or whether the cancer cells have migrated elsewhere in your body. Here is a brief summary of the various treatments for melanoma.
Surgery: Surgical removal of a tumor is the primary treatment for melanoma. When detected early, before melanoma has spread, surgery may be the only treatment needed. The most common surgery for melanoma is called wide excision, in which a surgeon uses a scalpel to remove the tumor, as well as some healthy-appearing tissue surrounding the tumor (known as a margin). A doctor then views the margin under a microscope. If no cancer cells are present, the surgery is complete. If cancer cells are detected, the surgeon will remove more tissue and repeat the process until healthy-appearing tissue has no evidence of cancer. This surgery usually leaves a scar. In some cases, melanoma may be treated with a technique called Mohs surgery, which often leaves a less-noticeable scar. However, Mohs surgery is only appropriate for some melanoma patients.
If melanoma has spread, surgery is unlikely to cure the disease. However, a doctor may recommend surgical removal of metastatic melanoma to alleviate symptoms it may be causing.
Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy uses drugs that kill malignant cells or prevent them from dividing and making copies of themselves so that a tumor can grow and spread. Chemotherapy is sometimes administered after surgery to decrease the likelihood that the cancer will return, which is known as adjuvant therapy. However, chemotherapy is no longer offered to melanoma patients as often as in the past, since new medications that are more effective and less toxic have become available.
Radiation Therapy: While most melanoma patients do not require radiation therapy, it can play a role in some cases. Radiation therapy uses high-energy invisible beams to kill cancer cells. The most common form used in cancer therapy is called external beam radiation therapy, which is delivered from outside the body. In some cases, other forms of radiation therapy are used.
Immunotherapy: Your body has a natural defense network called the immune system. The purpose of immunotherapy is to strengthen the immune system and make it better able to fight cancer, including melanoma that can’t be cured by surgery. There are several forms of immunotherapy available for treating melanoma, including innovative new medicines called checkpoint inhibitors, which prevent cancer cells from “hiding” from the immune system.
Targeted Therapy: Scientists have identified several gene mutations, or alterations, that appear to play a role in causing melanoma cells to grow uncontrollably, form tumors, and spread. A targeted therapy is designed to identify and attack cancer cells that have these genetic mutations. Because these cutting-edge treatments are designed to strike only a specific target, they may be less likely than chemotherapy to harm healthy tissue and cause side effects. Targeted therapies for melanoma zero in on the following genes: BRAF, MEK, and C-KIT.
If you have melanoma that can’t be treated by surgery, it’s important to consider all of your treatment options. That includes participating in a clinical trial, in which researchers evaluate the benefits and safety of new, potentially life-saving therapies. Massive Bio’s artificial intelligence-powered platform, SYNERGY-AI, scans thousands of clinical studies in seconds to identify clinical trials that are recruiting patients like you. If you’re interested in enrolling in a clinical trial, contact Massive Bio today.
Sources: American Cancer Society, Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center, Medline Plus, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, National Cancer Institute
Melanoma is a type of skin cancer. It’s less common than the other two major forms of skin cancer, which are called basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. However, melanoma is more likely than other skin cancers to spread throughout the body, which makes it the most serious form. Other names your doctor may use for this cancer include malignant melanoma and cutaneous melanoma.
Melanoma begins in melanocytes, which are cells found in the deep layers of your skin. Melanocytes produce a pigment called melanin that gives skin its color. When you are exposed to the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays or any other source of UV (such as a tanning bed), melanocytes step up production of melanin, which protects the skin and causes it to darken. However, exposure to UV rays can damage the DNA of melanocytes and cause them to grow uncontrollably. Having certain gene mutations may make you more likely to develop melanoma.
Melanoma commonly occurs on parts of the body that get the most sun exposure, including the face, neck, chest, back, arms, and legs. However, melanoma can arise on any part of the body. While uncommon, melanoma can even affect the eyes or genitals.
There are four main types of melanomas. They include:
Doctors determine which type of melanoma a patient has by viewing a sample of skin cells under a microscope. Identifying the melanoma type is important for giving the patient a prognosis and deciding on a treatment plan.
Melanoma differs from the two other major forms of skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, in three key ways:
The melanoma treatment plan your doctor recommends will depend on several factors, including the size (or depth) of the tumor, and whether the malignancy was detected early, before it could spread, or whether the cancer cells have migrated elsewhere in your body. Here is a brief summary of the various treatments for melanoma.
Surgery: Surgical removal of a tumor is the primary treatment for melanoma. When detected early, before melanoma has spread, surgery may be the only treatment needed. The most common surgery for melanoma is called wide excision, in which a surgeon uses a scalpel to remove the tumor, as well as some healthy-appearing tissue surrounding the tumor (known as a margin). A doctor then views the margin under a microscope. If no cancer cells are present, the surgery is complete. If cancer cells are detected, the surgeon will remove more tissue and repeat the process until healthy-appearing tissue has no evidence of cancer. This surgery usually leaves a scar. In some cases, melanoma may be treated with a technique called Mohs surgery, which often leaves a less-noticeable scar. However, Mohs surgery is only appropriate for some melanoma patients.
If melanoma has spread, surgery is unlikely to cure the disease. However, a doctor may recommend surgical removal of metastatic melanoma to alleviate symptoms it may be causing.
Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy uses drugs that kill malignant cells or prevent them from dividing and making copies of themselves so that a tumor can grow and spread. Chemotherapy is sometimes administered after surgery to decrease the likelihood that the cancer will return, which is known as adjuvant therapy. However, chemotherapy is no longer offered to melanoma patients as often as in the past, since new medications that are more effective and less toxic have become available.
Radiation Therapy: While most melanoma patients do not require radiation therapy, it can play a role in some cases. Radiation therapy uses high-energy invisible beams to kill cancer cells. The most common form used in cancer therapy is called external beam radiation therapy, which is delivered from outside the body. In some cases, other forms of radiation therapy are used.
Immunotherapy: Your body has a natural defense network called the immune system. The purpose of immunotherapy is to strengthen the immune system and make it better able to fight cancer, including melanoma that can’t be cured by surgery. There are several forms of immunotherapy available for treating melanoma, including innovative new medicines called checkpoint inhibitors, which prevent cancer cells from “hiding” from the immune system.
Targeted Therapy: Scientists have identified several gene mutations, or alterations, that appear to play a role in causing melanoma cells to grow uncontrollably, form tumors, and spread. A targeted therapy is designed to identify and attack cancer cells that have these genetic mutations. Because these cutting-edge treatments are designed to strike only a specific target, they may be less likely than chemotherapy to harm healthy tissue and cause side effects. Targeted therapies for melanoma zero in on the following genes: BRAF, MEK, and C-KIT.
If you have melanoma that can’t be treated by surgery, it’s important to consider all of your treatment options. That includes participating in a clinical trial, in which researchers evaluate the benefits and safety of new, potentially life-saving therapies. Massive Bio’s artificial intelligence-powered platform, SYNERGY-AI, scans thousands of clinical studies in seconds to identify clinical trials that are recruiting patients like you. If you’re interested in enrolling in a clinical trial, contact Massive Bio today.
Sources: American Cancer Society, Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center, Medline Plus, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, National Cancer Institute
Melanoma makes up about one percent of all skin cancers, making it far less common than the other two major forms, basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. However, melanoma is more serious than the other two primary types of skin cancer.
Over 1.3 million people in the United States have melanoma. The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates that about 97,610 new cases of melanoma will be diagnosed in the United States in 2023. An estimated 7,990 people will die of the disease.
Around the world, nearly 325,000 people were diagnosed with melanoma in 2020 and slightly more than 57,000 people died of the disease, according to the World Cancer Research Fund International.
Men are more likely than women to develop melanoma. In the United States, roughly 58,120 males and 39,490 females will be diagnosed with this skin cancer this year.
White people develop melanoma far more often than Black people do. By one estimate, white Americans are 20 times more likely than Black Americans to get melanoma; the latter have a roughly one in 1,000 chance of being diagnosed. Rates among Asians and Pacific Islanders are nearly as low. Among Hispanic and Native American people, the odds are slightly higher, around one in 167.
The risk for melanoma grows as you age. The typical new patient is 65. However, this serious form of skin cancer can strike much earlier in life. In fact, melanoma is one of the most common cancers in young people, according to the ACS. Even kids can get melanoma—about 400 are diagnosed with this type of skin cancer in the United States each year.
The top 10 countries with the most annual cases of melanoma are (in order):
After rising for years, the incidence of melanoma in the United States began dropping within some groups in the mid 2000s, decreasing by about one percent per year among people under 50. Growing awareness about the harm of the sun’s ultraviolet rays is credited with reducing melanoma in this group. However, rates appear to be increasing among older men and women. Deaths from melanoma have decreased across all ages, too. A 2020 study found that deaths from melanoma decreased 18 percent among white people between 2013 and 2016. Doctors credit the availability of better treatments with saving lives.
Sources: American Cancer Society, American Academy of Dermatology, American Society of Clinical Oncology, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Melanoma Research Foundation, World Cancer Research Fund International
Melanoma can be mistaken for a common mole and other less-concerning skin changes. Here are some skin changes that could be signs of melanoma, which should be checked by a doctor:
Another way to spot melanoma is to apply the ABCDE rule, which dermatologists created to help people spot possible melanoma early, when it responds best to treatment and before it spreads to other parts of the body. See a doctor soon if a mole or other spot on your body has any of the following features:
Sources: American Cancer Society, American Academy of Dermatology
A melanoma diagnosis usually starts with a patient or doctor suspecting that a skin spot could be cancer. In addition to performing an overall physical exam and taking the patient’s medical history (including asking whether any close relatives have had skin cancer), a doctor will remove a skin sample, which can usually be performed in the exam room. This sample will be sent to a lab for testing. If melanoma is detected, further testing is likely necessary. Not all patients require each of the tests described here, but some may be necessary to learn more about a patient’s melanoma and determine the most effective treatment.
A primary care doctor or dermatologist (a doctor who treats skin disorders) may suspect that a spot on your skin is melanoma or another form of skin cancer if it meets certain criteria. For example, an existing skin mole that changes shape or color could be a sign of melanoma. Moles that are large, asymmetrical, or have jagged edges are causes for suspicion, too. The same is true of a new mole or spot that doesn’t resemble any other on your skin. When examining a suspicious skin spot, a doctor may use a special handheld light called a dermascope to get a better view.
If your primary care doctor is concerned about a spot on your skin, he or she will likely refer you to a dermatologist. If the dermatologist agrees that the spot requires further evaluation, he or she will use one or more of the following tests.
In a skin biopsy, a doctor uses one of several different tools to remove all or a portion of a suspicious spot (which your doctor may call a lesion). This tissue specimen is sent to a lab for evaluation by a doctor called a pathologist.
To prepare you for a biopsy, the doctor will inject anesthetic to numb the area to be examined, which may cause a brief pinching or burning sensation. Next, the doctor removes tissue using one of several different techniques:
When the biopsy is complete, the doctor treats the skin to stop bleeding. In some cases, stitches may be necessary. After applying petroleum jelly, the wound is bandaged. Biopsies usually leave at least a small scar. (Some dermatologists have begun using alternative skin biopsies that can eliminate the need for some cutting, including optical biopsies and adhesive patch testing.)
A skin biopsy specimen is then sent to a lab, where a pathologist studies it under a microscope. The pathologist will produce a report that determines whether the removed tissue is melanoma or any other type of skin cancer. If it turns out to be melanoma, the report will include details about the tumor that will help the dermatologist determine the patient’s prognosis (or the most likely outcome) and the best course of treatment, including:
In some cases, biopsy specimens will also be sent for genetic testing. Scientists have linked certain gene mutations, or alterations, to melanoma. Notably, about half of melanoma patients have a mutation in the BRAF gene. Other genetic mutations may also play a role in melanoma. Certain treatments for advanced melanoma, known as targeted therapies, work best in people with specific gene mutations, so knowing whether you have one or more is essential for developing your treatment plan.
If a skin biopsy indicates that you have melanoma, your doctor will use additional tests to determine the cancer’s stage, or extent of the disease. They may include:
If your biopsy results suggest that a melanoma lesion may have spread, your doctor will likely order imaging tests. Various types of imaging tests are used to detect whether melanoma has spread, or metastasized, including computed tomography (CT) scans, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, positron emission tomography (PET) scans, and X-rays.
Lymph nodes are small structures in the immune system that filter fluid called lymph, which carries immune cells that protect the body against infection and disease. When cancer cells are detected in the lymph nodes it’s a sign that a cancer such as melanoma has spread. Doctors have several methods for examining lymph nodes for sign of cancer, including:
Your doctor may check your blood levels of a substance called lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) to help determine your prognosis. Elevated LDH often indicates that melanoma has spread and needs aggressive treatment. Your doctor may use other blood tests as part of your melanoma diagnosis.
Sources: American Cancer Society, American Society of Clinical Oncology
Doctors use a system called staging to describe the extent of a patient’s cancer. A melanoma’s stage is determined by the size and depth of a tumor, and whether it has spread. Cancer staging plays an important role in deciding what treatment is best for a patient.
To stage melanoma, a doctor first gathers as much information as possible about the patient and his or her malignancy. Key clinical tests that a doctor uses to stage melanoma include:
Doctors use the results of these tests when applying the criteria of the standard system for staging melanoma, known as the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) TNM system.
Using these criteria, a doctor will assign a stage to a melanoma using a number (often a roman numeral) from 0 to IV; the higher the number, the more serious the cancer. The melanoma staging system also uses the letters A, B, C, and D to describe degrees of seriousness within each number.
The stages of melanoma are as follows:
The melanoma treatment plan your doctor recommends will depend on several factors, including the size (or depth) of the tumor, and whether the malignancy was detected early, before it could spread, or whether the cancer cells have migrated elsewhere in your body. Here are the various treatments for melanoma that your doctor may discuss with you.
Surgical removal of a tumor is the primary treatment for melanoma. When detected early, before melanoma has spread, surgery may be the only treatment needed. The most common surgery for melanoma is called wide excision, in which a surgeon uses a scalpel to remove the tumor, as well as some healthy-appearing tissue surrounding the tumor (known as a margin). A doctor then views the margin under a microscope. If no cancer cells are present, the surgery is complete. If cancer cells are detected, the surgeon will remove more tissue and repeat the process until healthy-appearing tissue has no evidence of cancer. This surgery usually leaves a scar.
As an alternative, a doctor may treat a melanoma with an approach known as Mohs surgery. In this procedure, a specially trained surgeon removes a very thin layer of skin and tumor, then studies it under a microscope. If cancer cells are found, another thin layer of tissue is removed and studied. This process is repeated until no cancer cells can be detected. One advantage of Mohs surgery is that it often leaves a less-noticeable scar. However, Mohs surgery is only appropriate for some cases of melanoma.
If cancer is detected in the lymph nodes, they will be removed in a surgery known as a lymphadenectomy. If the cancer has spread, known as metastatic melanoma, surgery is unlikely to cure the disease. However, a doctor may recommend surgical removal of metastatic melanoma to alleviate symptoms it may be causing.
Chemotherapy is a common approach to treating many forms of cancer. The drugs used in chemotherapy kill malignant cells or prevent them from dividing and making copies of themselves so that a tumor can grow and spread. Chemotherapy is sometimes administered after surgery to decrease the likelihood that the cancer will return, which is known as adjuvant therapy. Only one chemotherapy drug, dacarbazine (which is injected in a doctor’s office), is approved for treating melanoma. An oral version of the drug, temozolomide, is sometimes used in stage IV melanoma. Other chemotherapy drugs may also be administered for melanoma patients. However, chemotherapy is no longer offered to melanoma patients as often as in the past, since new medications that are more effective and less toxic have become available.
While most melanoma patients do not require radiation therapy, it can play a role in some cases. Radiation therapy uses high-energy invisible beams to kill cancer cells. The most common form used in cancer therapy is called external beam radiation therapy, which is delivered from outside the body. In some cases, other forms of radiation therapy are used.
Some reasons your doctor may recommend radiation therapy as part of melanoma treatment include:
Your body has a natural defense network called the immune system. The purpose of immunotherapy is to strengthen the immune system and make it better able to fight cancer, including melanoma that can’t be cured by surgery. There are several forms of immunotherapy available for advanced melanoma.
Less frequently used forms of immunotherapy in treatment of melanoma include Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine, which is a germ that does not cause disease but can trigger the immune system to attack cancers; and imiquimod (Zyclara), a cream that is applied to the skin in order to stimulate an immune response. Doctors sometimes choose imiquimod for very early melanomas as an alternative to surgery to avoid scarring, such as on the face.
Scientists have identified several gene mutations, or alterations, that appear to play a role in causing melanoma cells to grow uncontrollably, form tumors, and spread. A targeted therapy is designed to identify and attack cancer cells that have these genetic mutations. Because these cutting-edge treatments are designed to strike only a specific target, they may be less likely than chemotherapy to harm healthy tissue and cause side effects.
Targeted therapies for melanoma fall into several groups:
If you have melanoma that can’t be treated by surgery, it’s important to consider all of your treatment options. That includes participating in a clinical trial, in which researchers evaluate the benefits and safety of new, potentially life-saving therapies. Massive Bio’s artificial intelligence-powered platform, SYNERGY-AI, scans thousands of clinical studies in seconds to identify clinical trials that are recruiting patients like you. If you’re interested in enrolling in a clinical trial, contact Massive Bio today.
Learning that you have any form of cancer can be a stressful and frightening experience. If you have recently been diagnosed with melanoma, you may find yourself struggling to learn new medical terms and make sense of the different treatment options.
If you have already begun treatment for melanoma or any other form of cancer, you’re facing new physical and emotional challenges, too. Some treatments for melanoma can cause side effects that may interfere with your daily routine and leave you feeling depleted. And if you’re not getting the results from therapy that you and your doctor hoped for, you may be feeling anxious and worried.
Even completing treatment for melanoma or other forms of cancer doesn’t always bring relief. After all, you may have concerns about the cancer returning, which is known as recurrence. Rest assured that you are not alone, as many cancer patients share these and other complex feelings. Knowing what to expect during your journey and adopting certain strategies can help you enjoy better quality of life while you manage melanoma.
Undergoing treatment for cancer means adapting to a “new normal,” since many aspects of your life will change. Your daily routine, what you eat, how you feel—these and other things you take for granted will likely undergo a shakeup.
You will also find yourself getting to know and working closely with a new group of people, in the form of your medical team, whom you will see regularly. It’s critical that you attend all scheduled appointments and get any ordered lab work or imaging tests completed on time. It’s also essential to tell your team about any side effects that you experience from medications or concerns you may have about your treatment plan.
This new relationship with your care team can become deep and meaningful. Many patients report feeling a sense of loss and absence when treatment is over and they no longer see their doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who treat their cancer as frequently, though you will most likely return to the clinic for routine follow-up appointments. Here again, it’s vitally important that you don’t skip those sessions, which are essential for monitoring your post-treatment wellbeing.
Effective treatments for melanoma are available, but the unfortunate reality is that many cause side effects. Most are temporary and will disappear after treatment ends. Ask your healthcare team what side effects that you might experience from your treatment plan and how you can minimize them. Depending on which treatment for melanoma you receive, they might include:
Patients who undergo surgery for melanoma are often concerned about the possibility of having a permanent scar on their skin. That’s especially true when a patient has a melanoma tumor removed from the face. Doctors emphasize that scars look their worst immediately following surgery and can take months to heal fully. Limiting activity (to avoid stretching the skin) and keeping the wound moist and protected from sunlight will help a scar heal. However, there are treatment options that can help soften a post-surgical scar’s appearance. Your doctor can tell you about steroid treatments and laser therapies for scars.
Some melanoma patients require treatment to remove lymph nodes, or doctors elect to treat lymph nodes with radiation therapy. Depending on which lymph nodes are treated, this can cause fluid buildup under the arm or in the groin, a condition called lymphedema. Check with your healthcare team about how to manage this condition. Options include special support garments and massages (known as a lymphatic drain massage).
Taking steps to protect skin makes sense for everyone, but having any form of skin cancer once increases your risk for a second bout with the disease, so if you have had melanoma be sure you follow these rules:
Living with any form of serious illness can leave you feeling stressed-out, anxious, and depressed. It’s important to recognize that your world may be different due to cancer-related changes in your body, identity, personal and professional roles, and even your perspective on life. Be open about your feelings with family and friends, and encourage others to speak their minds, too. Be honest and specific about what they can do for you. Talking about your feelings with a mental health professional may help, too. So can including any of the following activities in your daily routine.
Cancer treatment can be expensive, which may add to the stress and anxiety patients and their families are already experiencing. In addition to treatment costs, you may have other unplanned expenses related to your care, such as traveling long distances for treatment. For some people, the high cost of medical care leads them to stop taking or receiving necessary treatments, which can worsen outcomes. Be sure to discuss financial issues and concerns you may have with a member of your healthcare team. They may be able to refer you to philanthropic organizations that help people manage the cost of cancer care.
Assuming the role of caregiver for a person with cancer or any other serious illness means taking on a wide range of responsibilities. It can impose emotional, physical, social, and even financial burdens on you, which can at times strain your relationship with the person in need of care. If you care for someone with cancer, these strategies can help ease the burden for both of you.
Sources: American Cancer Society, American Society of Clinical Oncologists, Skin Cancer Foundation
A risk factor is anything about you that increases your risk for a specific disease. Scientists have identified many risk factors for melanoma. Having a risk factor for a disease doesn’t guarantee you will get sick, but it should serve as a caution to speak with your doctor about what preventive measures you can take. While some melanoma risk factors can’t be modified, you can take important steps that will lower your odds of developing this serious form of skin cancer.
Anyone can develop melanoma, but these factors increase the risk:
Some simple, commonsense steps can lower your risk for melanoma and other forms of skin cancer, including:
Sources: American Academy of Dermatology, American Cancer Society, American Society of Clinical Oncology
Clinical trials are studies that are designed to allow researchers to evaluate the benefits and safety of new treatments in volunteer patients. All prescription drugs that are approved today were tested in clinical trials before they could be sold. Clinical trials of new medications generally include three phases. In phase 1, a promising new medicine is tested in a small group of human subjects. The primary focus of a phase 1 trial is identifying a safe dose of a drug, but researchers also look for evidence that it is effective. A phase 2 trial involves a larger group of patients. If results of this phase suggest that the drug candidate appears to be effective with minimal side effects, it can then be tested in a phase 3 study in a larger number of patients. If a phase 3 study shows that a new medicine’s benefits outweigh its risks, the drug can be submitted to regulators (such as the Food and Drug Administration in the United States or the European Medicines Agency in the European Union) for approval.
People who volunteered to enroll in clinical trials were among the first patients to receive groundbreaking new therapies that have revolutionized the treatment of advanced melanoma by prolonging survival compared to the standard of care, often while causing fewer side effects. Those leading-edge medicines include:
Immunotherapies: This class of drugs trains the immune system to detect and destroy cancer tumors. Innovative new drugs called immune checkpoint inhibitors foil cancer cells’ efforts to “hide” from the immune system, allowing T cells to detect and lead an attack on tumors.
Targeted therapies: Scientists have identified several gene mutations, or alterations, that appear to play a role in promoting the growth and spread of melanoma tumors. Targeted therapies are designed to find and destroy cancer cells that have these genetic mutations.
However, while new immunotherapies and targeted therapies have benefited legions of patients, not everyone responds to these drugs and most who do ultimately develop resistance to them over time, so research on new treatments for advanced melanoma continues. Scientists are developing and studying novel forms of immunotherapy and targeted therapy for this skin cancer, as well as testing different combinations of existing and experimental drugs. New offerings for advanced melanoma currently being investigated in clinical trials include:
According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, more than 500 clinical trials of new treatments for melanoma are underway around the world. If you have melanoma and you’re interested in participating in a clinical trial, Massive Bio can help you find the study that’s right for you with our SYNERGY-AI, our artificial intelligence (AI)-powered platform. SYNERGY-AI searches multiple clinical trials to produce personalized matches based on more than 170 clinical algorithms to find the best treatment option for you.
Using the personalized matches produced by our platform, you and your doctor can determine which clinical trial is right for you, based on the type and stage of your cancer, your personal preferences and priorities, and other factors. Before you agree to participate in a clinical trial, contact your insurance company to find out if the cost of treatment will be covered or whether the pharmaceutical company sponsoring the trial will help cover your expenses.
Clinical trials are studies that are designed to allow researchers to evaluate the benefits and safety of new treatments in volunteer patients. All prescription drugs that are approved today were tested in clinical trials before they could be sold. Clinical trials of new medications generally include three phases. In phase 1, a promising new medicine is tested in a small group of human subjects. The primary focus of a phase 1 trial is identifying a safe dose of a drug, but researchers also look for evidence that it is effective. A phase 2 trial involves a larger group of patients. If results of this phase suggest that the drug candidate appears to be effective with minimal side effects, it can then be tested in a phase 3 study in a larger number of patients. If a phase 3 study shows that a new medicine’s benefits outweigh its risks, the drug can be submitted to regulators (such as the Food and Drug Administration in the United States or the European Medicines Agency in the European Union) for approval.
People who volunteered to enroll in clinical trials were among the first patients to receive groundbreaking new therapies that have revolutionized the treatment of advanced melanoma by prolonging survival compared to the standard of care, often while causing fewer side effects. Those leading-edge medicines include:
Immunotherapies: This class of drugs trains the immune system to detect and destroy cancer tumors. Innovative new drugs called immune checkpoint inhibitors foil cancer cells’ efforts to “hide” from the immune system, allowing T cells to detect and lead an attack on tumors.
Targeted therapies: Scientists have identified several gene mutations, or alterations, that appear to play a role in promoting the growth and spread of melanoma tumors. Targeted therapies are designed to find and destroy cancer cells that have these genetic mutations.
However, while new immunotherapies and targeted therapies have benefited legions of patients, not everyone responds to these drugs and most who do ultimately develop resistance to them over time, so research on new treatments for advanced melanoma continues. Scientists are developing and studying novel forms of immunotherapy and targeted therapy for this skin cancer, as well as testing different combinations of existing and experimental drugs. New offerings for advanced melanoma currently being investigated in clinical trials include:
How Can I Find a Clinical Trial?
According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, more than 500 clinical trials of new treatments for melanoma are underway around the world. If you have melanoma and you’re interested in participating in a clinical trial, Massive Bio can help you find the study that’s right for you with our SYNERGY-AI, our artificial intelligence (AI)-powered platform. SYNERGY-AI searches multiple clinical trials to produce personalized matches based on more than 170 clinical algorithms to find the best treatment option for you.
How Can I Enroll in a Clinical Trial?
Using the personalized matches produced by our platform, you and your doctor can determine which clinical trial is right for you, based on the type and stage of your cancer, your personal preferences and priorities, and other factors. Before you agree to participate in a clinical trial, contact your insurance company to find out if the cost of treatment will be covered or whether the pharmaceutical company sponsoring the trial will help cover your expenses.