In a study of 7,360 women diagnosed with breast cancer between 1980 and 2005, 54% were given supplemental antiestrogen therapy. The rate of cutaneous melanoma was 60% higher for those women not taking antiestrogen supplements compared with the expected rate of melanoma incidence based on age and other factors.

The article points out that melanoma incidence varies between men and women. Women generally contract melanoma during their reproductive years, between puberty and menopause. Women also generally have a better prognosis. “Melanoma and benign nevi have been shown to express estrogen-binding receptors, and sex hormones can be associated with increased melanocyte proliferation, which is associated with early-stage melanoma. Both of these observations suggest a link between sex hormones and melanoma development”, the article stated.

As pointed out in an article on Daily  RX, these results still need to be further tested and researched. Dr. Christine Bouchardy, of the Institute for Social and Preventative Medicine at the University of Geneva, who led the study said that, “These results need to be replicated in other studies, particularly given the numerous side effects linked to this kind of drug”.  In other words, she does not think it wise for people to just assume that these anti-estrogen drugs will help melanoma.  Testing must still be done.

This is the first study which has delved into a link between melanoma and estrogen. As scientist look further into this link, they may be able to find even larger clues as to how we can beat this cancer. MoleSafe hopes they do!

What do YOU think? Leave some comments and let us know!

Smoking histories were assessed and compared between patients diagnosed with BCC and/or SCC, and a group of controls comprised of patients who were screened for skin cancers, but who were not diagnosed with and had no history of skin cancer. The study’s 698 participants were recruited through Moffitt’s Lifetime Screening and Prevention Center and the University of South Florida’s Dermatology and Family Medicine Clinics. Participants were asked about their smoking behaviors in terms of years smoked, how many cigarettes per day they smoked, and when those who once smoked quit smoking. The results were stratified by sex.

The study revealed that there was a definite link between smoking and non-melanoma skin cancers for women with squamous cell carcinoma being more common than basal cell carcinoma. The risk increased with the amount of cigarettes smoked per day as well as with the amount of years a person smoked for.

The researchers concluded that:

• Cigarette smoking was associated with non-melanoma skin cancer, and the risk increased with increasing dose (cigarettes per day) and number of years smoked.
• Among men, smoking was modestly associated with BCC and SCC.
• Among women, smoking was strongly associated with SCC, but not BCC.

Jerome Zack led the study at the University of California Los Angeles with a team of researchers who tested lab mice. “We knew from previous studies that we could generate engineered T-cells, but would they work to fight cancer in a relevant model of human disease, such as melanoma”, Zack said in a press release.

The study found that the generated T-cells would indeed work in humans as well. The engineered cells successfully attacked the melanoma cancer cells. Researcher Dimitrios Vatakis said that,”These cells can exist in the periphery of the blood and if they detect the melanoma antigen, they can replicate to fight the cancer”.

Researchers used a T-cell receptor from a cancer patient which had been cloned. The receptor looks for an antigen determined by the type of melanoma. The human blood stem cells were created by moving genes for the T-cell receptor into the stem cell nucleus. Zee news reported that:

In the study, the engineered blood stem cells were placed into human thymus tissue that had been implanted in the mice, which allowed the research team to study the human immune system reaction to melanoma in a living organism.
Over time, about six weeks, the engineered blood stem cells developed into a large population of mature, melanoma-specific T-cells that were able to target the right cancer cells.

Two groups of mice existed, ones with the antigen complex that attracts the T-cells, and one without. The engineered T-cells successfully went for the antigen-attracting melanoma. Zack was happy to report that, “… four tumors were completely gone and the rest had regressed, both by measuring their size and actually seeing their metabolic activity through PET”.

This is hopefully the first in a long line of steps which could find a cure for melanoma. Here at MoleSafe we applaud their efforts!

The identified mutation occurs in the gene encoding MITF, a transcription factor that induces the production of several important proteins in melanocytes, the cells in which melanoma originates.  While previous research has suggested that MITF may act as a melanoma oncogene, the current study identifies a mechanism by which MITF mutation could increase melanoma risk.

Researchers knew that MITF regulated the production of melanin, and what they found, was that this gene mutation would block the chemical change, sumoylation, which slows MITF activity. This causes MITF to overact, hence the risk for melanoma. David Fisher, the Wigglesworth Professor of Dermatology at Harvard Medical School , says that:

We now need to better understand exactly how this mutation causes melanocytes to 
become cancerous.  That information might help us discover other oncogenes as well as find treatment strategies to block the cancer-promoting activity and kill melanoma cells.

What is important to remember however, is that while 10 percent of melanoma patients report a history of the cancer in their familiy, the truly hereditary form of the cancer most likely occurs in 1 percent or less of all cases.  Hensin Tsao, of MGH Dermatology and the Wellman Center for Photomedicine, reminds us that, “most cutaneous melanomas arise as a result of interaction between environmental factors such as excessive sun exposure and more common, inherited low- to moderate-risk gene variants”.

The American study was done by sequencing the genome of a melanoma patient with a history of the cancer in their family. Melanoma was reported across three generations. The American researchers then looked into the research done by the Australians and those in the UK. What they found is that the mutation, named E318K, occurred frequently in individuals with melanoma.

Tsao says, “This MITF variant doubles the background risk for melanoma, which is approximately the same risk increase conferred by severe sunburns”. He also reminds us that what this study truly displays is the amount of collaboration researchers are willing to do in order to find an answer. Here at MoleSafe, we hope they find one soon!

The research was conducted by the American Association for Cancer Research in Boston. Researchers looked at:

…coffee consumption and the risk of three forms of skin cancer — basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and the rarer and more deadly melanoma — among about 113,000 participants in two long-term health surveys. The data came out of the Nurses’ Health Study out of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Health Professionals’ Follow-Up Study at the Harvard School of Public Health. They found 25,480 incidences of skin cancer, 22,786 of the basal cell carcinoma, 1,953 squamous cell carcinoma and 741 melanoma.

Woman who drank three cups or more of caffinated coffee had their risk of developing basal cell carcinoma lowered by 20 percent. Men had their risk lowered by 9 percent. But as the article points out, “…those percentages add up, given that about 1 million new cases of basal cell carcinoma are diagnosed each year”.

Unfortunately, the consumption of coffee did not seem to affect those with the other two types of skin cancer, squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma. These two are the more dangerous cancers of the three. The study also did not find a correlation with patients who drank decaffeinated coffee.

What is important to remember however, is that those who have had basal cell carcinoma have an increased risk for squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma. So, here at MoleSafe we say drink up!

A New Reason To Love Coffee

“…each year between 2004 to 2006, over 45,000 cases of melanoma were reported in 45 states and the District of Columbia. In the U.S. skin cancer is the most prevalent form of cancer. Although melanoma is the third most prevalent type of skin cancer, it is more dangerous than other skin cancers, and is the leading cause of death from skin disease killing approximately 8,000 individuals each year as well as costing the country billions.”

The exact number of money lost each year totals at about $8 billion.  “Deaths caused by melanoma accounted for $3.5 billion in lost productivity every year”, reported David Goodhue for AHN News Reporter. Another startling fact was that researchers found that melanoma patients died 20 years prematurely. That number is only 17 for most other cancers.

These new statistics only point out the importance of spreading the word about melanoma prevention. People can take great efforts to successfully prevent themselves from contracting this horrible cancer.  If caught early enough, Melanoma can be stopped from taking lives. MoleSafe, is here to help with that.

Researchers with Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions analyzed five years of medical records tracking 717 children and 1,368 young adults between the ages of 20 and 24 who were diagnosed with melanoma. The children with melanoma were more likely than the adults with the disease to have metastases in the lymph nodes surrounding the tumor, which are known as sentinel lymph nodes.

This is a very scary fact for parents, especially as cancer cells were found in the sentinel lymph nodes of “…25 percent of the children and 14 percent of adults…”. Children under 10 were even more at risk, it was found, for their tumors were more likely to have grown beyond their original size.

Fortunately, it was found that the survival rates did not vary at a high rate between ages.

As this article points out, it is important to remember that skin cancer in children and young adults is on the rise. This is attributed to increased sun exposure, tanning, and sunburns.  In order to help prevent melanoma it is important to have your skin checked regularly by your doctor, and to take it one step further, MoleSafe. Early detection is the best way to save lives.

I’ll be interviewed all about the latest Melanoma news and the difference a thorough screening can make…and more about   why MoleSafe is the world’s most comprehensive detection and surveillance teledermatology platform for Melanoma screenings.

Or is it?

Actually, wearing protective clothing (long sleeves and pants, hat, and sunglasses) and staying out of midday sun are your first and second lines of defense…followed by sunscreen.  That’s according to a Consumer Reports Quiz of facts and myths about sun exposure, reported by The Washington Post.

Separating the facts from the myths is more important than ever.  And being smart about UV exposure shows you know how to make the right choices.  As Dr. Allan C. Halpern, MD, Editor-in-Chief of The Melanoma Letter and Chief, Dermatology Service, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, says

…fashion and recreation trends leading to increased ultraviolet sun exposure and tanning bed use are likely the major driving force behind the melanoma epidemic.

With melanoma on the rise, it makes sense for us all to be more UV savvy.  See how “sun smart” and knowledgeable you are about skin cancer.  Try a few of these sample questions.  Then check out the rest of the Consumer Reports Quiz to see how well you know your facts from your myths about sun exposure and cancer.

Here are a couple of questions to get you started with our added comment on the answers…

1. Melanoma’s death rate is higher for those with darker skin.  TRUE OR FALSE?
• TRUE. While the incidence of of skin cancer is lower, more skin cancers go undetected in people with darker skin, often from fewer exams…so don’t rest on statistics! For more details, see our post from last May.
2. Men and women are at equal risk of getting skin cancer.  TRUE OR FALSE?
• (Hint:  Review the Melanoma Updates post from July!)
3. Having a lot of regular moles increases the risk of melanoma. TRUE OR FALSE?
• TRUE. “A lot” is roughly defined as about 50 or more, but other factors include genetics, hair and eye coloring, and previous sunburns.

More details about risk factors are on the quiz, and the truth about which of your moles might be suspicious is available from a screening at MoleSafe.

Now, there’s more news to be hopeful about on the pharma front with potentially greater results: The FDA has also given the go-ahead to a drug called ZELBORAF (vemurafenib, pronounced vem-yoo-RAF-en-ib).   A comprehensive overview by ABC News offers a clear explanation of how Zelboraf attacks a genetic mutation (known as BRAF V600E) which is found in about half of melanoma patients, inhibiting the disease’s ability to spread.

We now have the capability to analyze a patient’s melanoma tumor for the genetic mutation BRAF and use the targeted treatment Zelboraf to attack the tumor, shrink it and stop the progression of this deadly disease,” said Dr. Anna Pavlick, director of the NYU Melanoma Program at the NYU Cancer Institute, who has been involved in clinical trials for Zelboraf. …Zelboraf shuts down the abnormal signals of the tumor cells that are caused by the genetic mutation and stops the cells from dividing, without affecting healthy cells.

At the same time, the FDA approved a genetic test to determine if patients carry the mutation since only those with the abnormal “BRAF” gene can take Zelboraf.  Interestingly, since the same genetic mutation is found in those with other forms of cancer, there may be future help from this drug beyond skin cancer and is now, for example, being tested on thyroid cancer patients.

This is the fastest the FDA has ever approved a drug to come to market – in just five years.  And even better: Zelboraf, which is a first-in-class drug, is anticipated to be available in the next two weeks.

There are differences between Yervoy and Zelboraf.   As described in the coverage by the SF Chronicle,

Yervoy was found to extend patients’ lives, an improvement over many current treatments. However, the drug works for less than 20 percent of patients, and doctors say they can’t predict which patients will find it most effective.

Zelboraf was clinically effective in 50 percent of patients [with the] specific genetic mutation … Most of the therapies for melanoma work for less than 20 percent of patients, and some fall into single digits.

Neither Zelboraf nor Yervoy cure melanoma.  And as a patient who had great success in a clinical trial for the new drug said, “there’s nothing that says this medication will help you forever.”  But these drugs bring hope for a longer life, and as new therapies come along the melanoma pipeline, there is reason to be optimistic.