Skin Cancer & Melanoma

Approximately three-fourths of all skin cancer-associated deaths are caused by melanoma. During 1973 to 1991, the incidence of melanoma increased approximately 4% each year. In addition, the incidence of melanoma is increasing faster than that of any other cancer. To characterize the distribution of deaths from melanoma in the United States, the CDC analyzed national mortality data for 1973 through 1992. This report by the Division of Cancer Prevention and Control, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, CDC, summarizes the results of that analysis.

MADISON, NJ--Schering-Plough Corporation's Intron A for Injection (interferon alfa-2b, recombinant) has received FDA clearance for a new indication as adjuvant treatment to surgery in malignant melanoma patients at high risk for systemic recurrence.

University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) investigators have begun vaccinating people with advanced melanoma using molecules that are overexpressed in melanoma cells.

BUENOS AIRES--The techniques of lymphatic mapping, sentinel lymph node biopsy, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) determination of occult metastases promise to provide a more accurate staging of the melanoma patient with more conservative surgery. This could save the health-care industry dollars and save patients the morbidity and expense of complete node dissection, Douglas Reintgen, MD, said at the Sixth World Congress on Cancers of the Skin.

BUENOS AIRES--The surgical care of the melanoma patient is in flux because of new data showing that complete nodal staging can be obtained with the technique of lymphatic mapping and sentinel lymph node biopsy, said speakers at a plenary session at the Sixth World Congress on Cancers of the Skin.

BUENOS AIRES-Ultraviolet (UV) radiation contributes to skin cancer induction not only by transforming normal cells to cancer cells but also by impairing the host immune response to skin cancer, said Daniel Yarosh, PhD, president of Applied Genetics, Inc., Freeport, NY.

The history of systemic treatments for advanced cutaneous melanoma, which is reviewed thoroughly in the paper by Anderson et al, can best be characterized as a series of unrealized hopes.

The treatment of advanced cutaneous melanoma remains disappointing. Single-agent cytotoxic drugs usually produce response rates of less than 20%, though newer agents, particularly fotemustine and temozolomide, show some promise, especially in patients with brain metastases.

Anderson and colleagues present a comprehensive and factually accurate overview of systemic treatment for advanced melanoma. They correctly identify dacarbazine as the only single agent officially sanctioned for the treatment of metastatic melanoma. They further opine that "dacarbazine alone remains the standard of care for initial chemotherapy treatment of metastatic melanoma." With overall response rates of 10% to 20%, a complete response rate of less than 4%, and no evidence that treatment with dacarbazine improves survival over best palliative care, one questions whether or not dacarbazine would merit approval if reevaluated today.

Researchers at the John Wayne Cancer Institute at Saint John's Hospital in Los Angeles are studying a new blood test that

NEW YORK--Sunscreens represent the first line of defense against skin damage from the sun, and broad-spectrum products offer the best protection, Madhukar A. Pathak, MB, PhD, said at a media conference sponsored by the Skin Cancer Foundation.

NEW YORK--If the face is the area of the body most vulnerable to sun damage, the eyes are in need of special protection, Rene S. Rodriguez-Sains, MD, said at a media conference sponsored by the Skin Cancer Foundation. Malignancies of the eyes and periocular area are particularly serious because of their proximity to the brain and other vital structures, he said.

NEW YORK--A mollusk protein turned out to be the best carrier for a cancer vaccine being developed by Philip O. Livingston, MD, at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. This approach to augmenting the immunogenicity of the GM2 ganglioside tumor antigen is about to be tested in phase III randomized trials of melanoma patients who are free of detectable disease after surgery but are at high risk for recurrence.

LISBON, Portugal--Adjuvant immunotherapy with low-dose interferon (IFN)-alfa-2a (Roferon-A) boosts disease-free survival by a significant 40% in melanoma patients with regional lymph node metastasis, according to the findings of the latest multicenter World Health Organization (WHO) Melanoma Programme trial.