Children whose parents are melanoma survivors are not receiving the best possible protection from the sun and ultraviolet radiation, according to authors of a recent study. In their view, interventions among such high-risk populations may help reduce the burden of melanoma in the United States.
Variation in cancer risk among tissues can be explained by the number of stem cell divisions, according to authors of a study published in Science in early January. In an associated media release, the authors highlight that the types of cancer that had a higher risk than predicted by the number of stem cell divisions include skin cancer (linked to sun exposure).
Considerable scope exists for health promotion initiatives targeting sun protection specifically aimed at workers and owners of small outdoor businesses, according to researchers at the Behavioural Research and Evaluation Unit (BREU), Cancer Council SA.
Researchers led by the Yale School of Public Health have for the first time identified a gene that appears to be associated with tanning dependence. If replicated, the finding will help understand more about the biology of tanning dependence and possible interventions to reduce exposure.
A recent CDC (Center for Disease Control) study provides the first national estimates of indoor tanning–related injuries treated in US hospital emergency departments, according to its authors.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has granted accelerated approval to Opdivo (nivolumab), a new treatment for patients with unresectable or metastatic melanoma who no longer respond to other drugs.
An end of year review published on-line in Medscape Oncology, with input from Antoni Ribas, MD, PhD, professor of medicine, David Geffen UCLA School of Medicine and Nancy Terry, editorial director for Medscape Oncology, highlights notable advances in melanoma from the past year.
In a recent study titled "Hair shaft miRNA-221 levels as a new tumour marker of malignant melanoma", published in The Journal of Dermatology, a team of researchers from Kumamoto University, Japan, assessed the hypothesis that hair shaft micro RNA (miR)-221 levels could be used as a marker for malignant melanoma (MM).
Using a multidisciplinary approach, authors of a recent study have elucidated the evolution of behaviours maximizing UV exposure and consider public health and educational measures that may ultimately help reverse melanoma incidence trends.