Melanoma skin cancer

Information about melanoma, a type of skin cancer. It can develop from abnormal moles. There is information about symptoms and causes, tests to diagnose melanoma, treatment for early melanoma (surgery) and advanced melanoma (chemotherapy, biological therapy, radiotherapy, and surgery) and current research. Living with melanoma skin cancer covers coping with your diagnosis and looking after your skin. If you are looking for information about melanoma of the eye, you need to go to our eye cancer section. But if the melanoma has spread, you will also find useful information in this section.

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What to ask your doctor about melanoma tests

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You can also find melanoma skin cancer organisations providing help and support, a reading list and see where this information comes from.

Did you know that Cancer Research UK has an online forum for people affected by cancer? Cancer Chat is your space to talk about cancer.

Plus join the Q & A sessions on the first Thursday of every month and have your questions answered by one of our cancer specialist nurses.

News: Experimental drug could target melanoma that spreads to brain: A new drug could be effective for the treatment of melanoma that has spread to the brain, according to an early-stage clinical trial.; 18 May 2012
News: Whole-genome sequencing uncovers new skin cancer gene: US scientists have used high-tech DNA sequencing to uncover a new gene linked to melanoma – the most serious form of skin cancer; 9 May 2012
Press release: Diabetes treatment doubles skin cancer drug's effectiveness: Combining the experimental drug Avastin (bevacizumab) with the diabetes drug Metformin almost doubles its ability to reduce skin cancer growth, according to a study in Cancer Discovery.; 31 Mar 2012

News digest – curry extract and bowel cancer, infections and cancer, brain tumours and more: We launched a clinical trial (press release) to test whether curcumin – an extract from the curry spice turmeric – could improve treatment for advanced bowel cancer. This doesn’t mean curry cures cancer (as we pointed out here), or that … Continue reading →; 12 May 2012
News digest – abiraterone in Scotland, No Smoking Day, red meat, oral cancer, and more: It was a week that started in Scotland, with the ‘no’ decision on prostate drug abiraterone, and went on to cover skin cancer, No Smoking Day, oral cancer, shisha pipes, prostate screening and cancer-munching blood cells. In short, it was … Continue reading →; 16 Mar 2012
New melanoma drug goes on sale – but will it be affordable?: In 2002, a paper appeared in top science journal, Nature, called “Mutations of the BRAF gene in human cancer”. It described how scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Centre had made a breakthrough. They’d … Continue reading →; 14 Mar 2012