Educate Yourself
The Experts answer your questions
RESEARCH
Q. Why is research needed?
A. Research is needed in all areas relating to melanoma. The incidence of melanoma is rising and one person dies every hour in the U.S. due to melanoma. If it is not diagnosed at an early stage when surgery is curative, the melanoma can spread, also referred to as “metastasize”. The median lifespan of a patient with metastatic melanoma is less than a year.
Although studies have been able to identify risk factors, we do not know the precise mechanism of what changes in the melanocyte to make it become malignant. Our method of screening by visual inspection can miss some melanomas. When a melanoma progresses, there are insufficient treatments to halt it.
Q. What are the pressing needs in melanoma research?
A. The Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA) held a meeting of international experts in November 2007 to identify the critical questions which need to be answered to drive breakthroughs in prevention, diagnosis, staging and treatment. The report, “The State of Melanoma Research: A Call to Action” can be found at the Melanoma Research Alliance.
In summary, just some of the needs are:
- to better understand the interaction of risk factors and the environment and how to intervene to reduce the risk
- a study on the role of exercise and nutrition in preventing melanoma
- a screening method that improves visual inspection of the skin
- better tools for the earlier detection of primary lesions (such as “paint-on” imaging agents) and earlier detection of metastases
- studies on the genetic changes that occur that cause a melanocyte to become melanoma or that causes the melanoma to metastasize.
- a staging system for melanoma that incorporates the behavior of the tumor, e.g., its molecular and immunologic characteristics, in addition to the clinical characteristics such as size and depth
- selection of treatments based on the immunologic and molecular features of the individual tumor