Copyright 2009 Medical News Today Latest Melanoma / Skin Cancer News From Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/melanoma/ admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin) editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors) en-us Mon, 23 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171869.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171869.php Genta Incorporated (OTCBB: GETA.OB) announced preliminary results that show a high objective response rate in a pilot study of patients with advanced melanoma that incorporates the Company's lead oncology product, Genasense® (oblimersen sodium) Injection, administered for the first time as a 1-hour high-dose intravenous (IV) infusion. The data were featured this week in a presentation at the annual World Meeting of Interdisciplinary Melanoma/Skin Cancer Centers in Berlin, Germany. Melanoma / Skin Cancer Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171686.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171686.php High irradiances of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) should not be used over melanomas. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Cancer studied the pain relieving, anti-inflammatory 'cold laser', finding that it caused increased tumour growth in a mouse model of skin cancer. Jan M. Bjordal from Bergen University College, Norway worked with a team of Brazilian researchers to carry out the in vitro and in vivo experiments. Melanoma / Skin Cancer Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171574.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171574.php The BMA in Northern Ireland welcomed the Health Minister Michael McGimpsey's consultation into the regulation of the sunbed industry in Northern Ireland. Dr Paul Darragh, Chairman of the BMA's Northern Ireland Council said, "Doctors are concerned about the rising incidences of skin cancer in Northern Ireland and the access that people have to sunbeds for cosmetic use. Melanoma / Skin Cancer Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171084.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171084.php Cancer Research UK scientists have shown, for the first time, how two genes from the same 'family' can interact with each other to stop cancer in its tracks - according to new findings published in Molecular Cell*. The team of scientists from Melanoma / Skin Cancer Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170876.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170876.php More than one quarter of a million children aged 11-17 are risking their health by seeking a tan from sunbeds - warn Cancer Research UK researchers in a letter published today in the British Medical Journal. In England, on average, six per cent of 11-17 year olds use sunbeds. Melanoma / Skin Cancer Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170921.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170921.php Sunbeds should be off limits to the under 18s and should not be used for cosmetic tanning - say scientists at the Health Protection Agency. The issue of sunbed use has come back into the public eye following the publication of Cancer Research UK research in the British Medical Journal which shows worrying levels of sunbed use by under-18s. The HPA's position on sunbeds is: 'Sunbeds emit UVR. Sunbeds cause tanning and can cause sunburn. Melanoma / Skin Cancer Tue, 10 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170346.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170346.php Although the chances of surviving advanced melanoma aren't very good with current therapies, some patients can live for years with cancer that has spread beyond the skin to other organs. Now it may be possible to identify which patients are more likely to survive by analyzing the activity of hundreds of genes involved in the immune response and gene proliferation, according to researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center. Melanoma / Skin Cancer Sun, 08 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170168.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170168.php Abraxis BioScience, Inc. (NASDAQ:ABII), a fully integrated biotechnology company, announced that the Office of Orphan Products Development of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan drug designation to the chemotherapy agent ABRAXANE® for Injectable Suspension (paclitaxel protein-bound particles for injectable suspension) (albumin-bound) for the treatment of pancreatic cancer as well as stage IIB-IV melanoma. Pancreatic Cancer Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169553.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169553.php BioVex Inc, a company developing new generation biologics for the treatment and prevention of cancer and infectious disease, announced that the data from its completed Phase 2 clinical study of OncoVEX (GM-CSF) for the treatment of advanced melanoma has been published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO). The previously announced top line results report a high objective durable response rate and a high complete response rate, combined with a relatively benign side effect profile. Melanoma / Skin Cancer Tue, 03 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169531.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169531.php High-risk melanoma patients who are treated with radiation after surgery have a significantly lower risk of their cancer returning to the lymph nodes (19 percent), compared to those patients who do not have radiation therapy (31 percent), according to the first randomized study of its kind presented at the plenary session, November 2, 2009, at the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO). Melanoma / Skin Cancer Mon, 02 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169496.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169496.php Results of two phase 1 studies demonstrate that the novel, investigational cancer vaccines MKC1106-MT and MKC1106-PP are well-tolerated and show encouraging immune response rates and objective tumor response in advanced melanoma, prostate cancer and other solid malignancies, setting the stage for phase 2 studies. The data are being presented at the International Society for Biological Therapy of Cancer 2009 Annual Meeting. Melanoma / Skin Cancer Mon, 02 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169499.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169499.php Genta Incorporated (OTCBB: GETA) announced top-line results from AGENDA, the Company's Phase 3 trial of Genasense® (oblimersen sodium) Injection in patients with advanced melanoma. AGENDA is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of dacarbazine administered with or without Genasense® in patients who have not previously received chemotherapy. As defined in a prior randomized trial, AGENDA uses a biomarker to define patients who might maximally benefit from treatment. Melanoma / Skin Cancer Mon, 02 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169475.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169475.php Switching to a newer type of immunosuppressant drug may reduce the high rate of skin cancer after kidney transplantation, according to research presented at the American Society of Nephrology's 42nd Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition in San Diego, CA. Transplants / Organ Donations Sat, 31 Oct 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169386.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169386.php Schering-Plough Corp. (NYSE: SGP) announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a complete response letter to the company's supplemental Biologics License Application regarding PEGINTRON® (pegylated interferon alfa-2b) for the adjuvant treatment of patients with stage III malignant melanoma after complete lymphadenectomy. Schering-Plough will work closely with FDA to respond to outstanding concerns related to the PEGINTRON melanoma filing. Melanoma / Skin Cancer Tue, 27 Oct 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168750.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168750.php Findings from a new retrospective cohort study presented at the American College of Gastroenterology's 74th Annual Scientific meeting in San Diego indicate that patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), especially those receiving the thiopurine class of medications to treat IBD, may be at risk for developing non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC). Dr. Irritable-Bowel Syndrome Wed, 21 Oct 2009 06:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168165.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168165.php A targeted chemotherapy for the treatment of skin cancer is one step closer, after a team of University of Alberta researchers successfully synthesized a natural substance that shows exceptional potential to specifically treat this often fatal disease. U of A chemistry professor Dennis Hall said after three years of work, his research team has successfully produced the substance called Palmerolide A. Melanoma / Skin Cancer Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168031.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168031.php Many resident physicians are not trained in skin cancer examinations, nor have they ever observed or practiced the procedure, according to a report in the October issue of Archives of Dermatology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Melanoma is the only cancer that can be detected early for which U.S. death rates are not decreasing, according to background information in the article. Melanoma / Skin Cancer Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168075.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168075.php Scientists in Canada have successfully synthesized a natural compound that shows highly unusual potential to selectively treat melanoma, a type of skin cancer that is often fatal, and perhaps other cancers as well. The study is the work of Professor Dennis G Hall of the Department of Chemistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, and colleagues, and was published recently in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. Melanoma / Skin Cancer Wed, 14 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/167206.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/167206.php Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp. (NASDAQ: SNTA), a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing, and commercializing small molecule drugs to treat severe medical conditions, announced that additional results from its Phase 3 trial (SYMMETRYSM) of elesclomol in combination with paclitaxel in metastatic melanoma was presented at the Perspectives in Melanoma XIII Conference by Steven O'Day, M.D. Melanoma / Skin Cancer Fri, 09 Oct 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166912.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166912.php An international coalition of physicians and scientists, led by Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah, has proposed guidelines for the first time concerning genetic testing for melanoma patients. The guidelines were developed from analysis of worldwide data on patients harboring a mutation in a gene known as CDKN2A. "Mutations in this gene are associated with an increased risk for both melanoma and pancreas cancer," says Sancy Leachman, M.D., Ph. Melanoma / Skin Cancer Thu, 08 Oct 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166648.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166648.php Many skin cancer patients fare just as well when surgeons remove about one inch of normal-looking tissue around the lesion instead of a larger safety margin, according to a new systematic review. Cutaneous melanoma arises in pigment-producing cells and is associated with sun exposure, so primary tumors are often on the face and hands where patients have special concerns about unsightly scars. Melanoma / Skin Cancer Wed, 07 Oct 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166417.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166417.php Farming has its share of occupational hazards, but one that may be underestimated is the danger of overexposure to the sun's harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays. Dermatologists say more is at risk than developing a "farmer's tan"; excessive exposure to UV radiation puts farmers at an increased risk of skin cancer, which can be deadly. Dermatology Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166365.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166365.php Enzon Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ENZN) announced that the FDA Oncologic Drug Advisory Committee voted in favor of recommending approval of PEGINTRON® as a treatment in addition to surgery in patients with metastatic melanoma. The product is currently being marketed, manufactured and developed by Schering-Plough. Melanoma / Skin Cancer Tue, 06 Oct 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166252.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/166252.php Schering-Plough Corp. (NYSE: SGP) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) recommended approval by a vote of six to four for PEGINTRON® (pegylated interferon alfa-2b) in the adjuvant treatment of patients with Stage III malignant melanoma. PEGINTRON is a longer-acting form of the protein interferon alfa-2b (INTRON® A). PEGINTRON is administered subcutaneously once-weekly via self-injection. Melanoma / Skin Cancer Thu, 01 Oct 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/165866.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/165866.php Scientists in Australia are reporting development and testing in laboratory animals of a potential new material for diagnosing malignant melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer. Their study is published in the ACS' Journal of the Medicinal Chemistry, a bi-weekly publication. Melanoma / Skin Cancer