Melanoma/Skin Cancer News

MAUI, HAWAII — New developments in photoprotection should prompt dermatologists to remind patients that photoprotection involves more than just sunscreen, according to a presenter here at Maui Derm for Dermatologists 2020.

American Society for Radiation Oncology has issued guidelines on the use of radiation therapy in the management of basal and cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas.

Six active ingredients in four different commercially-available sunscreen formulations applied by healthy study participants were systemically absorbed through the skin, resulting in exposure levels that exceeded the FDA threshold for safety testing, researchers reported in JAMA.

Cancer mortality rates dropped by 29% between 1991 and 2017 in the United States, with a 2.2% drop between 2016 and 2017, according to according to data from Cancer Statistics 2020, American Cancer Society’s annual report on cancer rates and trends.

In 2018, infections were the cause of 13% of all new cancer diagnoses, totaling 2.2 million new cases worldwide, although these totals do not include nonmelanoma skin cancers, according to findings published in The Lancet Global Health.

American Cancer Society and Melanoma Research Alliance provided two $1 million grants that will fund research focused on metastasis of melanoma and other cancer types.

A substantial proportion of patients with locally advanced basal cell carcinoma demonstrated long-term responses to vismodegib after discontinuation of the drug, according to results of a retrospective study published in Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Click here to read the Cover Story, “Cancer drug doses: More is not always better.”

Historically, the goal of cancer treatment has been to destroy as many cancer cells as possible through chemotherapy or radiation.

An independent review of currently available literature showed that the 31-gene expression profile test in cutaneous melanoma may be supported by more evidence than designations by three major dermatology organizations would indicate.