Most melanomas are thin types that grow wider faster than
they get deeper, so the prognosis for a cure is high when the melanoma is found early.”
Even if you are diligent at
protecting yourself from the sun, checking your skin and knowing what to look for is important because 30% of melanomas are not caused by sun exposure. According to the AAD, you should
do a skin self-exam once a month. For information on how to perform a skin self-exam, go to the AAD website and search “skin self-exam.” “Young men are most likely to
have melanoma on the trunk or back. Women are more likely to fi nd a melanoma on their legs. If you are at high risk for melanoma, getting a full body check by a dermatologist is a good idea,” Sutton advises. “Studies show that a dermatology exam can help identify melanomas in an earlier stage.”
WHAT MELANOMA LOOKS LIKE Look for any change in an existing mole or any new moles. The AAD recommends learning the ABCDEs of skin growths. Consult your doctor if any of your moles or spots exhibit: Asymmetry. One half does not match the other Border. Edges that are ragged, raised, or irregular Color. A change in color or more than one color in a single mole Diameter. Size larger than a pencil eraser head Evolving. Changing size, color, shape, or is itching or bleeding
TREATMENT ADVANCES For melanomas found early, the usual treatment is removal of the melanoma along with a margin of normal skin cells. Melanomas require a wider
excision than other skin cancers
because melanoma may grow deep into the skin and spread cancer cells through the blood. A dermatologist
may do a type of surgery called Mohs that involves removing thin layers of skin one at a time and examining each layer under a microscope until all the tissue is free from cancer cells. “Most melanomas are thin types
that grow wider faster than they get deeper, so the prognosis for a cure is high when the melanoma is found early,” says Sutton. Melanomas that are not removed
before they spread have been more diffi cult to treat, even with a combination of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. That may be changing with advances in immunotherapy. The reason the COVID-19 vaccine
was developed so quickly is that researchers have been learning how to make mRNA vaccines to treat cancer over the last decade. There are dozens of clinical
trials using mRNA vaccines for melanoma and other cancers, including pancreatic and colorectal. These vaccines are getting more successful and FDA approval should be coming soon. An immunotherapy drug already
approved and currently used to treat melanoma is called a checkpoint inhibitor. Checkpoints are proteins on immune cells that prevent the immune system from attacking normal cells, but cancer cells also
— Adam Sutton, M.D.
take advantage of checkpoints. Checkpoint inhibitor drugs open
the checkpoints and take the brake off the immune system. “Cancer is smart and it quickly
learns to evade the body’s immune defense system. Finding ways to help your immune system fi nd and eliminate cancer cells is what immunotherapy is all about,” explains Sutton. Cancer cells produce proteins
(called antigens) that the immune system can recognize and attack with antibodies, but sometimes the immune system needs help. It is now possible to identify
the antigens in a cancer, and target a treatment that helps a person’s immune system identify and attack the antigens in their cancer. Melanoma responds well to immunotherapy because it makes a lot of antigens. “I tell my patients that the
last 10 years has been the decade of melanoma therapy. We are developing vaccines that can help the immune system fi nd melanoma cancer cells and we have medications that can take the brakes off the immune system. That’s pretty cool stuff ,” says Sutton.
AUGUST 2023 | NEWSMAX MAXLIFE 81
GROUND PICTURE/SHUTTERSTOCK
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