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In the United States, August is Summer Sun Safety Month bringing awareness about protecting your skin, eyes, and overall health to prevent excess exposure to the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays that cause skin cancer. Researchers suggest wearing sunglasses, hydration, protective clothing, sunscreen, and annual skin screenings are the best practices to protect our skin and reduce our risk of skin cancer.
The most common types of skin cancer include basal cell carcinoma (BCC), squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), and the most severe type, melanoma.
Basal and squamous cell carcinoma are called nonmelanoma skin cancers and are associated with cell damage due to prolonged or chronic exposure to UV rays. Research indicates that nonmelanoma skin cancer affects more than 3 million Americans annually, with women having a greater incidence rate (Muzic, J et al. 2017). Nonmelanoma cancers are highly treatable if detected early.
With melanoma, incidence rates have been rising rapidly over the past 30 years; accounting for only about 1% of skin cancers yet causing a large majority of skin cancer deaths due to the vast difference in survival rates, which depends on the staging. The incidence of newly diagnosed melanomas in the US is higher in non-Hispanic White patients compared to Native Americans/Alaskan Natives, Hispanics, Asians, and non-Hispanic Blacks. However, compared to White patients, Black patients are more likely to present with late-stage melanomas that are deeper and have higher incidences of advanced or distant disease (Siegel, R et al., 2020), (Cortez, J et al., 2020), (Tripathi, R et al., 2020). Additionally, complex factors such as socioeconomic differences, lower health access, and higher rates of medical comorbidities correlated with age likely contribute to advanced-stage melanoma. Research studies focusing on identifying risk factors and early detection of melanoma will continue to improve advanced treatment options, such as immunotherapy, which has shown striking improvement in outcomes of advanced and high-risk melanoma. Thus, it indicates the urgent need for funding to continue developing advanced treatment options for patients and provide patients access to clinical trials, which allows patients access to the latest therapies, close monitoring, and reduced costs for treatment.
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EA6192: A Phase II Study of Biomarker Driven Early Discontinuation of Anti-PD-1 Therapy in Patients with Advanced Melanoma (PET-Stop)
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Primary Objective: To determine the 12-month event free survival (EFS) rate following discontinuation of anti-PD-1 therapy in patients with disease control and negative FDG-PET/CT scan or biopsy for residual disease after 12 months of anti-PD-1 therapy (Arm A). Event is defined as recurrence, progression, or melanoma-specific death.
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NCI 10323: Cancer Moonshot Biobank Research Protocol
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Primary Objective: To support current and future investigations into drug resistance and sensitivity and other NCI-sponsored cancer research initiatives through the procurement and distribution of multiple longitudinal biospecimens and associated data from a diverse group of cancer patients who are undergoing standard of care treatment at NCORP sites.
For more information about these studies and more follow the link below to our website
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