Mole Removed From Mac's Face

Biopsy shows no skin cancer

(NEWSER) - A biopsy performed on a mole removed from John McCain's face shows no sign of skin cancer. The brief cancer scare came after a routine dermatological check-up, Reuters reports. The 72-year-old Senator has had four malignant melanomas—the most serious form of skin cancer—removed since 1993. More»

New study says medical patients wait longer than cosmetic patients

(NEWSER) - Patients have a better chance of seeing their dermatologists if they want Botox than if they want a potentially cancerous mole examined, a new study finds. Researchers, posing as patients in a dozen cities, faced a typical wait of eight days for cosmetic procedures and 26 days to test a suspicious mole that could signal skin cancer. More»

Driving is likely to blame, say researchers

(NEWSER) - Before you roll your car windows and set out on a summer road cruise, consider this: People in the US are more likely to get skin cancer on their left side, perhaps because of driving, new research shows. While driving, the left arm gets more UV. In cases where skin cancer occurred on only one side, 52% of melanomas and 53% of merkel cell carcinomas were on the left, USA Today reports. More»

Both can significantly increase survival for those with metastatic melanoma

(NEWSER) - Two new drugs offer new hope to patients with metastatic melanoma, the typically lethal advanced form of skin cancer. The trial of PLX4032, or vemurafenib, was so successful that the study was halted after three months so that all patients could receive the new drug, the Los Angeles Times reports. It is the first chemotherapy to target a specific mutation that occurs in 47% of melanoma patients. The study found it helped 48% of those patients, compared to just 5.5% who were taking the drug dacarbazine, the conventional treatment. More»

Breast cancer, ovarian cancer, melanoma yield to new approaches

(NEWSER) - New treatments for cancer—breast, ovarian, and skin—raised hopes at this weekend's meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Chicago. The findings aren't enough for Robert Langreth of Forbes , who sees "serious questions about whether big drug companies may be rushing too fast." Judge for yourself.

• A single dose of radiation administered at the site of tumor removal deterred recurrence of breast cancer as well as the standard grueling course of radiation on the entire breast, the Chicago Tribune reports.