Why in News?
A landmark study led by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) revealed that high cholesterol levels in the nuclear membrane of melanoma cells make the nucleus "squishy." This flexibility allows cancer cells to squeeze through tight spaces more easily, facilitating their spread to other organs.
Primary Causes
- UV Radiation: Exposure to ultraviolet light from the sun or tanning beds is the leading cause, responsible for an estimated 86% of cases.
- Genetic Factors: Rare cases are hereditary, and people with fair skin, light hair, or many atypical moles are at higher risk.
- A cancer that begins in the melanocytes, the specialized cells responsible for producing melanin (skin pigment).
Emerging Treatments
- Personalized Vaccines: Ongoing trials by Moderna and Merck indicate that experimental mRNA vaccines can reduce the risk of recurrence by nearly 50% over five years.
- TIL Therapy: In 2024, AMTAGVI (lifileucel) became the first cellular therapy approved for a solid tumour (melanoma), using a patient’s own immune cells multiplied in a lab.
- Checkpoint Inhibitors: Combinations of drugs like Nivolumab and Ipilimumab are increasingly being used before surgery (neoadjuvant) to shrink tumours.
Early Detection (ABCDE Rule)
- Asymmetry (one half unlike the other).
- Border (irregular or scalloped).
- Colour (multiple shades).
- Diameter (larger than 6mm).
- Evolving (changing in size, shape, or colour).
- Global Projections: Experts predict melanoma cases will increase by 50% by 2040, reaching approximately 500,000 new cases per year worldwide.
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