Although melanoma is less common than other forms of skin cancer, the incidence of the disease is increasing dramatically, according to the American Cancer Society. Approximately 62,200 cases will be diagnosed this year.

Surgical excision is the treatment of choice for melanoma. When melanomas have spread to the regional lymph nodes, wide excision of the primary tumor and removal of the involved lymph nodes may induce a cure. Sentinel lymph node biopsy is performed on an outpatient basis. Researchers are exploring ways to enhance the procedure’s effectiveness, and reduce the need for additional surgery. The Ireland Cancer Center also provides the latest treatments for preventing disease recurrence in high-risk patients, as well as experimental therapies for metastatic melanoma.

Using a novel approach for inducing tumor-specific immunity, scientists here are also developing an effective tumor vaccine against melanoma in mice. The vaccine—a hybrid of fused tumor cells with activated B lymphocytes—elicits marked anti-tumor immune responses, and may have particular relevance to patients with melanoma in the future.