Cheap Flights: a Ticket to Skin Cancer

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.

Offers hope in fighting deadly melanoma

(NEWSER) - A new vaccine being tested in the UK may offer hope to patients suffering from the deadliest form of skin cancer. The drug, which attacks tumor cells and boosts the body's response to skin cancer without affecting healthy cells, appears to cure advanced melanoma in some patients. In a study of 50 melanoma patients, 16% who'd been given no more than nine months to live made full recoveries with the vaccine; another 28% saw their tumors shrink to half size. More»

(NEWSER) - Tanning beds have been upgraded from a probable carcinogen to a definite cause of cancer by World Health Organization experts, Newsday reports. The scientists analyzed over 20 studies and promptly moved the beds and other sources of ultraviolet radiation into their top category of cancer risks. They concluded that using tanning beds before age 30 raises a person's skin cancer risk by 75%. More»

Dermatologists warn on workouts in the sun

(NEWSER) - Health experts warn us to keep fit while also pestering us to beware of the sun's damaging rays. The solution, for many: indoor workouts. “I refuse to exercise outdoors,” one avid stationary cyclist tells the Boston Globe. She said she considers the sun a harbinger of cancer, not outdoor fun. “Once you start thinking about all the damage you’re doing you can’t shut it off,” notes another gym rat. More»