Category: Science
Unlocking the Potential of Localized Treatments By Better Understanding Treatment Response
By Cody Barnett, MPH, MRA Senior Director of Communications & Patient Engagement | 23 March 2022 In News, Science, Treatment
It’s easy to think of melanoma – or any cancer – in black and white terms. You have it or you don’t, it responds or it’s resistant to treatment, or it grows or it shrinks. However, like most things, the reality is far more complex.
MRA Applauds Approval of Relatlimab + Nivolumab for the Treatment of Advanced Melanoma
18 March 2022 In News, Science, Treatment
The Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA) welcomed the news today that the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Opdualag™, Bristol-Myers Squibb’s new combination immunotherapy for the treatment of advanced melanoma.
Recordings from MRA's 2022 Patient Forum
16 March 2022 In Allies & Partnerships, Events, Melanoma Stories, News, Policy, Prevention, Science, Treatment
MRA’s Melanoma Exchange Patient Forum, held in-person in Washington DC and virtually on March 9, 2022, brought together hundreds of melanoma patients, survivors, advocates, and their loved ones to provide lay-friendly, state-of-the-science education, promote collaboration, and provided networking opportunities across the melanoma community.
Testing AI in the Melanoma: From Promise to Action
By Cody Barnett, MPH, MRA Senior Director of Communications & Patient Engagement | 8 March 2022 In Prevention, Science
If you browse through your phone’s app store, you’ll find dozens of apps promising to help determine if a mole you’ve been staring at is cancerous or not based on the power of AI. While a great goal, none of these apps have earned approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). However, to do so, apps — and the algorithms that they rely on — will need to be rigorously tested in the real world and across diverse populations. This is exactly where Dr. Novoa’s research is aimed.
Preventing Melanoma Among Hispanic Americans
By Cody Barnett, MPH, MRA Senior Director of Communications & Patient Engagement | 22 February 2022 In Melanoma Stories, Prevention, Science
Dr. Costello’s online platform aims to teach participants about the risk factors for melanoma, what it looks like, and how they can screen themselves for concerning lesions. Costello’s program launched in February, 2022; and he hopes to get 30,000 people to participate in the 40-minute curriculum by the end of May 2022.
New Research Says Immunotherapy Should be First-Line Therapy for Patients with BRAF-Mutant Melanoma
By Cody Barnett, MPH, MRA Senior Director of Communications & Patient Engagement | 2 February 2022 In News, Science, Treatment
While all patients with advanced melanoma can be treated with checkpoint immunotherapies, patients with tumors containing the BRAF mutation can also be treated with targeted therapies. However, until now, doctors have had little prospective data to determine which treatment approach should be started first. A new study led by Dr. Michael Atkins provides practice-changing insight.
Registration Now Open for March 9 Patient Forum!
11 January 2022 In Allies & Partnerships, Events, News, Policy, Prevention, Science, Treatment
MRA’s Melanoma Exchange Patient Forum, held in-person in Washington DC and virtually on March 9, will bring together melanoma patients, survivors, advocates, and their loved ones to provide lay-friendly, state-of-the-science education, promote collaboration, and provide networking opportunities across the melanoma community.
Early Studies Suggest New Immune Checkpoint Target for Melanoma
By Cody Barnett, MPH, MRA Senior Director of Communications & Patient Engagement | 6 January 2022 In Science
Checkpoint immunotherapies have revolutionized the way melanoma is treated. However, up to 50% of patients don’t respond or go on to develop resistance to even our latest approved therapies. Thankfully, researchers such as MRA-funded investigator Roberto Tinoco, PhD are hard at work discovering the next checkpoint inhibitors capable of revving up the immune system and fighting melanoma.
Championing Clinical Trials
By Cody Barnett, MPH, MRA Senior Director of Communications & Patient Engagement | 2 January 2022 In Melanoma Stories, Science, Treatment
Too often, the first time someone is exposed to clinical trials is when they've been diagnosed with a serious, life threatening illness. Learn how Mary Elizabeth partnered with her doctor Jedd Wolchok to take back control from melanoma.
Advancing Rare Melanoma Research
27 December 2021 In Science
Despite the tremendous progress made in the last decade in treating melanoma, approximately one third of patients don’t benefit from currently approved therapies. This includes the majority of people with rare forms of melanoma. But as investigators continue to chip away at understanding what causes these melanomas and how they differ from UV-driven cutaneous melanomas, the hope is the better understanding they reap will be sown into improved treatments for these patients.