The results of the study showed that advances in treatment led to the largest annual decline in melanoma deaths ever recorded for this skin cancer, according to Pannochka, an online publication for girls and women aged 14 to 35.. net A study conducted by scientists from the Medical School named after. Grossman at New York University, his Perlmutter Cancer Center, and Harvard University found that death rates among white Americans - the group that accounts for almost all cases - rose 7.5 percent between 1986 and 2013 but then fell.. The death rates were for metastatic melanoma, an aggressive form that spreads from the skin to other organs such as the lungs, liver, or brain.

The authors say the size of the decline outpaces comparable declines in prostate, breast, and lung cancers, three other common cancers.. They also note that the unmatched decline in melanoma deaths coincided with the introduction of 10 new treatments for skin cancer.. These treatments either use the body's immune system to fight the disease or directly target melanoma cells that have a specific gene mutation..

" “These treatments are now considered the backbone of how we treat this cancer,” says Polsky, MD, Alfreda W Professor of Dermatological Oncology.. Kopf at NYU Langone Health and its Perlmutter Cancer Center.

The report, published online March 19 in the American Journal of Public Health, is the first to highlight the role of these new drugs in helping Americans survive melanoma, says Polsky, who is also a professor of pathology at NYU Langone..

By some estimates, melanoma is one of the most common forms of cancer in the United States, with about 100,000 new cases each year.. Once tumors have spread throughout the body, it has become known that melanoma is difficult to treat and conventional treatments such as chemotherapy have limited effect on the disease.. While the specific causes of melanoma are unclear, genetics and UV exposure to the sun and tanning beds are known to increase risk, especially among people with fairer skin.

Researchers say new treatments that have come into use in the last decade are much more effective and less toxic than standard chemotherapy, but much more expensive.. Drugs fall into two broad categories: those that target the BRAF gene, which is mutated in just under half of melanoma patients.; and immune checkpoint inhibitors, which prevent melanoma tumors from tricking the immune system into ignoring the cancer.

For the study, the scientists analyzed new melanoma cases and deaths collected by the National Cancer Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.. These figures covered the period from 1986 to 2016 and covered nearly a million Americans.. Polsky notes that the dramatic decline in mortality cannot be easily explained by better detection methods, as mortality rates have not declined over time, but have drastically. In addition, since the 1980s, many medical groups have been pushing for early screening, so the timing of this decline is better aligned with the introduction of new treatments..

However, the researchers warn that early detection is still important given less toxic forms of treatment and reduced healthcare costs.. They stressed that prevention, avoiding excessive UV exposure, and prompt medical attention for changes in skin appearance are critical to reducing the risk of developing metastatic melanoma..

Future research should look into socioeconomic factors that may affect access to the latest treatments, as well as the impact of these treatments on other ethnic groups, Polsky said..

medical-heal. en.