Study shines new light on cause of melanomas
Ground-breaking research from the Melanoma Institute Australia, has shone a new light on the cause of melanomas on the hands, feet and inside of the lip.
The research suggests acral and mucosal melanomas, some of the deadliest forms of the disease, are not actually caused by the sun. These findings are expected to have real implications on future prevention and treatment.
The study’s lead author Professor Richard Scolyer said, “This is by far the largest study to have looked at the whole genome in melanoma and it has proven these less common melanomas are strikingly different in terms of their causes.”
Every year hundreds of Australians are diagnosed with acral or mucosal melanomas, which are significantly more aggressive and harder to spot than skin melanomas.
Professor Nicholas Hayward from QIMR Berghofer added, “Acral and mucosal melanomas occur all over the world, but they have been even more challenging to treat than skin melanoma.”
Scientists are now working to turn these discoveries into better results for melanoma patients.
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