Skin Cancer

If patients are concerned that sunscreen use may harm their health or the environment, physical sunscreens such as zinc oxide may provide the most reassurance, one expert says.

Patients may be afraid to use a sunscreen considering reports describing the potential for a variety of adverse effects. Physicians should seek a strong understanding of the evidence to discuss benefits and safety with patients and encourage proper sunscreen use.

In cancer immunotherapy, nanoparticles can be directed to different cells and tissues related to the immune response. This technology is currently being investigated to enhance drug delivery in skin cancer therapy with the hope of promoting more robust antitumor effects and improved clinical outcomes.

Gene expression profiling (GEP) has the potential to improve melanoma prognostication, but shortcomings remain, one expert says.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved pembrolizumab for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma whose disease has shown to not be curable by radiation or surgery.

Researchers investigated the long-term efficacy of low-dose vismodegib in locally advanced basal cell carcinoma patients who achieved complete remission.

For nonaggressive basal cell carcinomas, laser therapy could be a practical treatment and management solution, according to the authors of a recent review.

Recognition of patients with hereditary melanoma is important not only because these individuals require careful surveillance for future primary melanomas, but also because they may be predisposed to multiple other types of malignancies because of their genetic mutation, says Hensin Tsao, M.D., Ph.D.

Recognition of patients with hereditary melanoma is important not only because these individuals require careful surveillance for future primary melanomas, but also because they may be predisposed to multiple other types of malignancies because of their genetic mutation, says Hensin Tsao, M.D., Ph.D.

A new energy-based device delivering ultrafast pulses of high amplitude electrical energy to nonthermally preferentially clear targeted cell rich lesions is proving to be a very useful treatment modality for a number of benign dermatologic lesions.

Results presented at the recent ASCO 2020 Virtual Scientific Program demonstrate the long-term relapse-free and survival benefit of dabrafenib (Tafinlar, Novartis) and trametinib (Mekinist, Novartis) as a combination treatment following surgery in stage III BRAF V600E/K-mutant melanoma patients.

A study from the University of Washington Medicine in Seattle pinpoints one of two lesions that can be attributed to UV light-caused skin cancer.

The epidermal growth factor (EGFR) inhibitor cetuximab achieved good outcomes in patients with advanced SCC, according to results of a recent study.

A recently published study in JAMA Dermatology showcases positive results for a face aging app’s effect on adolescent skin cancer protection behavior.

Immunotherapeutic agents have become an important treatment option for patients with advanced squamous cell carcinoma

Use of systemic therapies for treatment of melanoma is growing, and so is the list of cutaneous side effects associated with their use.

It is estimated that 0.025% to 16% of all actinic keratosis (AK) lesions may progress into invasive SCC per year, and there is still no marker to predict which lesions will progress, according to a recent paper that outlined diagnostic challenges as well as current and pipeline treatment approaches.

Recent advances in systemic therapies have led to the development of PD-1 checkpoint inhibitors, which one expert says may represent a paradigm shift in the treatment and management of patients with locally advanced or metastatic cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (SCC).

Continued research has produced a number of targeted therapies that provide hope for patients with this rare but sometimes deadly form of nonmelanoma skin cancer.

Positive outcomes with an experimental vaccine provide hope for patients with stage IIB and IIC melanoma.

Stem cell factor, a growth factor critical for melanocyte survival, may play an important role in the development of benign and malignant skin hyperpigmentation disorders.

Though still considered controversial, several evolving treatment and management plans for primary cutaneous melanoma are making their way into the mainstream and challenging more traditional approaches.

Gene expression profile (GEP) testing outcomes have positively impacted the management decision-making process for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC), according to a recent study.

A cohort study reveals the dose-response association between cumulative number of sessions and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC) risk in women was the same regardless of duration of use or age at indoor tanning initiation. 

Nano-Pulse Stimulation has shown efficacy in clearing benign cutaneous lesions, and may also have the potential to treat malignancies, says this expert.

A new systemic medication option offers promising results for patients with high-risk squamous cell carcinoma for whom surgery has not worked, says this expert.

Novartis, Quest Diagnostics collaborate on free genetic mutation testing initiative, The Know Now BRAF program, for patients with stage III or stage IV melanoma.

Fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin A appear to play a significant role in helping to decrease the incidental risk of developing squamous cell carcinoma, according to a recent study.

One expert believes that clinicians may want to seek a second pathologic opinion for particularly difficult-to-diagnose melanocytic lesions before solely relying on the results of existing molecular assays.

A novel nanovaccine has demonstrated efficacy in preventing the development of melanoma in mouse models, according to a recent study.