18 April 2015 The total cost of treating cancer in the public health system was $880 million, which is 26 percent greater than the Ministry of Health estimate (of $526 million) for the same period (based on data collected between 2010 and 2011), according to researchers from the University of Otago Department of Public Health. The researchers found the cost varied greatly by cancer type. Melanoma is one of the cheapest cancers to treat at $8000 per diagnosed and treated.
15 April 2015Melanoma cells become drug resistant by using surrounding healthy cells to provide a 'safe haven' from treatment, according to new research published in Cancer Cell. "It's clear that the 'safe haven' offered by the surrounding cells is triggered as a response to the same drugs that target this class of melanoma. Knowing more about this relationship means we can start to improve treatment." - Dr Erik Sahai, lead researcher.
8 April 2015The recently released Australian Federal Parliament's report on the inquiry into skin cancer in Australia offers key recommendations of relevance to New Zealand. These include the need to urgently update the Guidelines for the Management of Melanoma in Australia and New Zealand, along with guidelines on basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma (and related lesions), and to consider offering the guidelines on a digital platform.
4 April 2015 A gene expression profile (GEP) test recently found to be effective for melanoma has now been found to be capable of improving the prognostic accuracy of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in identifying patients at high risk of their cancer spreading, according to a study published in the March issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. The GEP test was able to identify as high-risk a significant number of patients whose sentinel lymph-node biopsy results indicated no increased risk, but who subsequently developed metastatic disease.
2 April 2015Imiquimod cream appears to be a viable option for primary or adjuvant treatment of lentigo maligna (LM) in older patients who are poor surgical candidates, according to authors of a recent retrospective cohort study. A randomized, controlled, prospective trial should be performed to determine the long-term efficacy.
26 March 2015Highlighted presentations at the annual American Academy of Dermatology conference available from Medpage Today include the uncertain status of spray sunscreens, the case for following patients with in-situ melanoma and the value of a single dermatology visit in reducing the odds for diagnosis of invasive melanoma.
24 March 2015Responding to two articles in the British Journal of Dermatology reflecting "the polarization that bedevils the state of sentinel node biopsy (SNB) in melanoma", an editorial in the same edition calls for a consensus in management to help patients make informed decisions about their treatment.
11 March 2015Researchers recommend further reduction of melanoma follow-up in low-risk melanoma patients and improvement of psycho-social support and patient education for all melanoma patients.
6 March 2015Among melanoma patients who were treated with immunotherapies, those whose tumours had mutations in the gene NRAS had better response and treatment outcomes than those whose tumours did not have NRAS mutations.
5 March 2015While confirmation in other datasets is required, recent study findings suggest a potential means of prospectively defining patients most likely to benefit from anti-CTLA4 agents ipilimumab or tremelimumab.
