Reining in skin cancer spread

SCIENTISTS have shown they can stop melanoma from spreading to distant organs, a breakthrough that has the potential to significantly reduce the number of Australians dying from the skin cancer, experts say.

Two international drug trials, led by investigators at Melanoma Institute Australia (MIA), have proved successful in preventing the spread of the disease in Stage III melanoma patients whose tumours had been removed.

“These clinical trials show we now have ammunition to prevent melanoma spreading and progressing, which until now was a critical area of disease behaviour where we had no control,” Professor Georgina Long, the institute’s conjoint medical director, said.

“Our ultimate goal of making melanoma a chronic rather than a terminal illness is now so much closer to being achieved,” Prof Long said.

In Australia, one person dies of melanoma every five hours. If identified early, melanoma is easily cured via surgical removal from the skin surface.

However for about 15 per cent of melanoma patients the disease has spread to the lymph nodes which is classified as Stage III melanoma.

Until now, these patients were at a high risk — 40 to 70 per cent — of their disease progressing to advanced and fatal melanoma.

Prof Long says the trial results will change the way melanoma patients are treated, and their quality of life.

“Stage III melanoma patients who have had their tumours surgically removed have simply had to play the waiting game, to see if their melanoma would metastasise or spread,” he said.

“Living with such fear severely affected them and their loved ones.”