Five recent developments in melanoma

Research presented at the 2017 European Cancer Congress predicting that melanoma death rates will fall by 2050 was among recent developments reported on Healio.com/Dermatology.

Other developments included findings that restricting indoor tanning among minors younger than 18 years has the potential to significantly reduce melanoma incidence, mortality and treatment costs:

Melanoma death rates expected to fall by 2050

Researchers presenting at the 2017 European Cancer Congress predict that melanoma death rates will fall by 2050, according to a press release.

Alice Koechlin of the International Prevention Research Institute, Lyon, France, said in the presentation that people who were at the highest risk for dying of melanoma were those born between 1900 and 1960, due to the effects of ultraviolet light being largely unknown and professionals advising on the benefits of sun exposure. Read more

Restriction of indoor tanning among minors would reduce melanoma rates, treatment costs

Restriction of indoor tanning among minors younger than 18 years has the potential to significantly reduce melanoma incidence, mortality and treatment costs, according to study results published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Estimations were based on the current cohort of 61.2 million individuals aged 14 years or younger in the United States. Read more

Majority of patients prefer online portals for skin biopsy results

Patients chose online portals as their preferred method of receiving skin biopsy results, according to study results published in JAMA Dermatology.

A survey of 204 patients was conducted between January 2016 and June 2016. The cohort was made up of 56.37% male patients and 43.63% female patients, most of whom had a college degree or higher level of education. Read more

Melanoma Foundation of New England offers sunscreen dispensers to communities, businesses

The Melanoma Foundation of New England announced that non-profits, private businesses and municipalities can apply for sunscreen dispensers for their communities, according to a press release.

The distribution program, called Practice Safe Skin, will offer a limited number of free dispensers to those that apply via an RFP process hosted on the foundation’s website. The process will run between Jan. 23, 2017, and Feb. 17, 2017. Read more

Low recurrence rates in staged excision of head, neck melanomas

Staged excision of melanomas arising in chronically sun-damaged skin on the head and neck had low local recurrence rates and high patient satisfaction, according to study results published in JAMA Dermatology.

Researchers from the University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, queried 806 patients with a melanoma diagnosis who had undergone staged excision with formalin-fixed permanent section margin control between Oct. 8, 1997, and Dec. 31, 2006. Read more