Sarah Diepstraten, WEHI (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research) e John (Eddie) La Marca, WEHI (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research)
Could mRNA vaccines be the next big thing for melanoma?
A personalised mRNA vaccine would use the body’s immune system to fight cancer.
Chinnapong/ Shutterstock
Katie Lee, The University of Queensland e Anne Cust, University of Sydney
Collarium sunbeds are promoted as a means to tan quickly, and reduce the effects of aging on the skin. Two experts explain what to make of their claims.
Sarah Diepstraten, WEHI (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research) e John (Eddie) La Marca, WEHI (Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research)
A cancer that spreads is much more dangerous. Here’s why – and how it happens.
The Duchess of York’s melanoma was discovered during treatment for breast cancer.
Featureflash Photo Agency/ Shutterstock
Sunburn can cause cancer, heat stroke and changes to the immune system. Choosing the right sun protection, even for darker skin, is more complicated than it looks.
Enrique Torchia, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus; Neil Box, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus e Tamara Terzian, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Widespread screening for skin cancer may not be necessary, but it is important to understand the risks behind UV overexposure and to get checked early if you have concerns.
Most tumors are made up of many different kinds of cancer cells, as shown in this pancreatic cancer sample from a mouse.
Ravikanth Maddipati/Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania via National Cancer Institute
Cancer vaccines are an emerging personalised treatment for cancer. Using the same mRNA technology as COVID vaccines, they stimulate the immune system to destroy cancer cells.
People with deeply-pigmented skin can also get skin cancer. But there is no evidence to suggest that this occurs because of sunburn or exposure to the sun.
Moderna is testing an mRNA vaccine in combination with pembrolizumab to treat melanoma.
Javier Zayas Photography/Moment via Getty Images
One enzyme plays a key role in how tumor cells replicate and divide indefinitely. Identifying the genes that give these cells their immortality could provide new drug targets to treat cancer.
There is very little evidence that sunscreen reduces melanoma in dark-skinned people.
RuslanDashinsky/E+ via Getty Images
While sunscreen has the potential to reduce skin cancer for light-skinned people, it has never been shown to do the same for Black people. Yet that distinction is lacking in public health messaging.
Newly reported study findings suggest a link between eating more fish and dangerous skin cancers. But the findings are based on observations only and more research is needed.