Evidence consistently supports the
effectiveness of teledermatology in improving accessibility to specialty care,
diagnostic and treatment concordance, and skin care provided by primary care
physicians, according to authors of targeted review of scientific studies
published from January 2005 through April 2015.
KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab), an anti-PD1 immunotherapy, has been registered by MEDSAFE for the treatment of advanced metastatic melanoma in New Zealand. Registration means KEYTRUDA is now approved for use in New Zealand; however patients will need to pay for treatment until it is funded by PHARMAC.
A free UVI app (called UV2Day) for New Zealand, Australia and the South Pacific region, including Antarctica, is now available on android Google Play. The app is based on the same information that is displayed on the NIWA (National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research) website.
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have identified a major genetic factor that keeps moles in their usual non-cancerous, no-growth state. The researchers found that a tumour suppressor protein, p15, is important for holding regular moles in a benign state, and that any subsequent loss of p15 promotes the transition to melanoma.
Results from a recent study published in
the journal Dermatologic
Surgery have shown that women who became pregnant after being
diagnosed with melanoma did
not experience a significantly worse clinical prognosis.
The general use of pesticides, particularly
indoor domestic use, frequently and over a long period, may be an independent environmental
risk factor for cutaneous melanoma, according to authors of a case-control study in Brazil.
This study "confirms the benefits of
developing a targeted screening strategy in primary care", according to its
authors. They highlight that, in
particular, "after the annual reminder, patient participation and the diagnosis
of melanoma remained high in the patients at elevated risk of thick melanomas".
Despite NMSC not being life threatening in
most cases, there is a significant proportion of patients who have unmet
supportive care needs and experience heightened distress levels, according to
authors of a recent study. They conclude that the study raises awareness for
health care professionals to be vigilant about the supportive care needs and
the psychological health of patients with non-melanoma skin cancer.
University of Leeds researchers, working with colleagues from the QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute in Brisbane, have uncovered further evidence that protective buffers at the ends of chromosomes - telomeres - are fundamental to the understanding of melanoma.
NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) in the
UK has published its new guidance for the assessment and management of melanoma
in children, young people and adults. The guideline,
which covers the full pathway of care, includes recommendations on managing low
vitamin D levels and the use of sentinel lymph node biopsy for staging.