What to Know About Melanoma
New York Times · LC · trust 39/100
New therapies are transforming the treatment of the skin cancer, which can be deadly.
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Therapies approved over the past 15 years have transformed the treatment of melanoma, extending and improving the lives of patients even with late-stage cases. And other potential treatments are on the horizon.
On Wednesday, the drugmakers Merck and Moderna announced preliminary results from a Phase 3 clinical trial suggesting that an experimental mRNA vaccine for melanoma patients reduced the risk that the cancer would recur or spread to other parts of the body.
There are also simple ways to reduce your risk, and to detect possible cases early while they are most curable.
Here’s what to know about melanoma, its treatments and how to protect yourself.
Melanoma is a cancer that typically starts in skin cells known as melanocytes that make the skin’s pigment. Compared with more common skin cancers that begin in squamous or basal cells, melanoma is more likely to spread to other parts of the body.
“It truly has a very aggressive behavior and biology behind it,” said Dr. Michael Davies, chairman of the melanoma medical oncology department at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
Most melanomas appear as flat or slightly elevated blotches of dark color on skin that has been frequently exposed to ultraviolet light, such as the scalp and face, arms, back and legs (though they can occur on areas that have never been exposed to the sun, too). In a smaller share of cases, the growth may appear as a dark- or red-colored bump and grow down into the skin, which can make it more difficult to detect.
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