I thought I’d share a compilation this week of some interesting stories that have made the melanoma news alerts recently. Some very exciting developments…for people AND pets!

1. Clamping Down on Tanning Beds:

If you’ve been reading these posts, you know I’ve been mentioning the effort to increase restrictions on tanning beds. This has been championed most strongly in Great Britain and "down under,” but the US is catching up. The FDA will be reviewing guidelines in March.  Here’s a great summary, including the expected response from the Indoor Tanning Association:

Pooches to Pouches

2. Be a best friend to your dog. Keep your ears perked for release of a new therapeutic DNA vaccine designed to aid in extending survival of dogs with oral melanoma. The USDA just licensed Merial Limited for this canine melanoma vaccine.

Since melanoma is one of the most common forms of cancers in dogs, here’s a factual overview of types and symptoms.

3. A clue to a cure from Kangaroos? Aussie scientists are researching how Kangaroos auto-repair their damaged DNA for clues to how we might adapt a therapy down the road for humans.

4. Driving Down Under. A little further south of Australia, the kiwis are getting the news out about prevention while driving. We often take our cues from the southern hemisphere on skin cancer prevention as they have some of the highest rates of the disease in the world, and thus are some of the most proactive in prevention tactics. So I wanted to share this latest suggestion of theirs: a reminder to motorists that they need protection even while inside vehicles, as windows only block 37% of harmful rays.

There are a lot of fashionable driving gloves these days, so why not make a statement!?