Melanoma

The annual incidence and mortality rates of melanoma, the most aggressive form of skin cancer, have increased more than 600% and 150%, respectively, since 1950 in the United States. The melanoma moon shot effort will integrate efforts in prevention, clinical care and research across the full continuum of this disease to reverse these trends and save lives that would otherwise be lost to melanoma.

MD Anderson’s Melanoma Moon Shot will integrate recent advances in the molecular, genetic and immunological basis and therapy of this disease to rapidly advance the most promising new treatments into the clinical setting, and to optimize the personalized treatment of every patient with this cancer.

Our Approach

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  • Goals

    Melanoma Skinscreening

    • Expand a multi-faceted prevention approach that includes education, screening and public policy to reduce melanoma incidence
    • Personalize and optimize clinical management strategies for patients with clinically localized disease through the integration of clinical, pathological and molecular endpoints and emerging therapeutic approaches.  Deliverables of this effort include reduction in mortality, improvements in quality of life, and optimized use of health care resources
    • Develop personalized combinatorial approaches for patients with stage IV (distant metastatic) melanoma to significantly improve durable (>5 year) disease control and survival
    • Develop new diagnostic tests and therapies that will facilitate personalized and improved care across the full continuum of this disease

  • Research

    Melanoma LabRecent research has provided tremendous insights into many of the factors responsible for the development and progression of melanoma, and some of these advances have already been translated into effective treatments.  However, many challenges remain to fully understand the basis of this disease, and to translate this understanding into benefit in patients.  The Melanoma Moon Shot will focus on the gaps in knowledge that need to be filled to reduce the rising incidence of melanoma and significantly improve the treatments for patients with the disease.

    Our research goals are to:

      • Identify characteristics that correspond with an increased risk of developing melanoma to develop focused preventative strategies for people at the highest risk
      • Develop predictive and prognostic profiles that will help determine the optimal, personalized  clinical management strategy for each patient
      • Improve our understanding of the factors that cause resistance to existing and emerging therapies so that rational, more effective treatment approaches can be developed efficiently

     

    .

     

  • Clinical Trials

    Like virtually all other cancers, it is becoming clear that melanoma is a heterogeneous disease.  While it is critically important to develop new treatment strategies, ultimately the challenge and goal is to be able to match each patient with the treatment that is best for them.  As one of the largest melanoma clinical care centers in the world, our clinical efforts will focus on clinical trials and practices that efficiently and systemically identify more effective, personalized treatment plans for every patient.

    Our clinical research goals include the development of:

    • Preventative measures to reduce the incidence of melanoma in patients who are at high risk
    • Infrastructure and practices that allow efficient multi-modality molecular and immunologic characterization of tissue and blood samples to facilitate the development of personalized clinical management strategies and comprehensive evaluation of experimental therapies
    • Improved predictive and prognostic markers and a multi-institutional consortium to better manage patients with clinically localized disease, including identifying patients with very low-risk for relapse who can be managed conservatively, and the development of effective adjuvant and neo-adjuvant approaches for patients with high-risk disease
    • Combined approaches that build upon recent successes in multiple therapeutic areas to significantly improve the number of patients with stage IV disease who achieve long-term disease control and survival

  • Prevention

    There is strong evidence that exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) plays an important causal role in melanoma.  Despite the declaration of UVR as a carcinogen by the World Health Organization in 2009, public health surveys have reported increasing prevalence of both sun exposure and tanning bed use among adults in the U.S., and few, if any, comprehensive preventative programs targeting children exist.  Further, although recent experiences in other countries demonstrate that improved sun-safety practices and skin screening can reduce both melanoma morbidity and mortality, few, if any, comprehensive screening efforts exist in the U.S.

    The Melanoma Moon Shot effort in prevention includes plans to:

    • Expand evidence-based, age-appropriate melanoma prevention approaches throughout schools
    • Access multiple forms of media and community-based interventions to discourage or eliminate tanning behavior, increase sun protection and encourage participation in skin screening efforts

  • Infrastructure

    The development of a comprehensive integrated approach that tackles the full continuum of melanoma is necessary to reverse the concerning trends in both its incidence and mortality.  While this is a large undertaking, it also presents a tremendous opportunity to efficiently integrate advances made in one stage of the disease throughout.  Building upon our long-standing experience and expertise in the MD Anderson melanoma program of establishing clinically annotated tumor banks, developing and refining staging and prognostic models, and biomarker discovery, the Melanoma Moon Shot will develop approaches to rapidly integrate advances in understanding and/or treatment to achieve impact on patient care most efficiently and effectively.

  • Goals

    Melanoma Skinscreening

    • Expand a multi-faceted prevention approach that includes education, screening and public policy to reduce melanoma incidence
    • Personalize and optimize clinical management strategies for patients with clinically localized disease through the integration of clinical, pathological and molecular endpoints and emerging therapeutic approaches.  Deliverables of this effort include reduction in mortality, improvements in quality of life, and optimized use of health care resources
    • Develop personalized combinatorial approaches for patients with stage IV (distant metastatic) melanoma to significantly improve durable (>5 year) disease control and survival
    • Develop new diagnostic tests and therapies that will facilitate personalized and improved care across the full continuum of this disease

  • Research

    Melanoma LabRecent research has provided tremendous insights into many of the factors responsible for the development and progression of melanoma, and some of these advances have already been translated into effective treatments.  However, many challenges remain to fully understand the basis of this disease, and to translate this understanding into benefit in patients.  The Melanoma Moon Shot will focus on the gaps in knowledge that need to be filled to reduce the rising incidence of melanoma and significantly improve the treatments for patients with the disease.

    Our research goals are to:

      • Identify characteristics that correspond with an increased risk of developing melanoma to develop focused preventative strategies for people at the highest risk
      • Develop predictive and prognostic profiles that will help determine the optimal, personalized  clinical management strategy for each patient
      • Improve our understanding of the factors that cause resistance to existing and emerging therapies so that rational, more effective treatment approaches can be developed efficiently

     

    .

     

  • Clinical Trials

    Like virtually all other cancers, it is becoming clear that melanoma is a heterogeneous disease.  While it is critically important to develop new treatment strategies, ultimately the challenge and goal is to be able to match each patient with the treatment that is best for them.  As one of the largest melanoma clinical care centers in the world, our clinical efforts will focus on clinical trials and practices that efficiently and systemically identify more effective, personalized treatment plans for every patient.

    Our clinical research goals include the development of:

    • Preventative measures to reduce the incidence of melanoma in patients who are at high risk
    • Infrastructure and practices that allow efficient multi-modality molecular and immunologic characterization of tissue and blood samples to facilitate the development of personalized clinical management strategies and comprehensive evaluation of experimental therapies
    • Improved predictive and prognostic markers and a multi-institutional consortium to better manage patients with clinically localized disease, including identifying patients with very low-risk for relapse who can be managed conservatively, and the development of effective adjuvant and neo-adjuvant approaches for patients with high-risk disease
    • Combined approaches that build upon recent successes in multiple therapeutic areas to significantly improve the number of patients with stage IV disease who achieve long-term disease control and survival

  • Prevention

    There is strong evidence that exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) plays an important causal role in melanoma.  Despite the declaration of UVR as a carcinogen by the World Health Organization in 2009, public health surveys have reported increasing prevalence of both sun exposure and tanning bed use among adults in the U.S., and few, if any, comprehensive preventative programs targeting children exist.  Further, although recent experiences in other countries demonstrate that improved sun-safety practices and skin screening can reduce both melanoma morbidity and mortality, few, if any, comprehensive screening efforts exist in the U.S.

    The Melanoma Moon Shot effort in prevention includes plans to:

    • Expand evidence-based, age-appropriate melanoma prevention approaches throughout schools
    • Access multiple forms of media and community-based interventions to discourage or eliminate tanning behavior, increase sun protection and encourage participation in skin screening efforts

  • Infrastructure

    The development of a comprehensive integrated approach that tackles the full continuum of melanoma is necessary to reverse the concerning trends in both its incidence and mortality.  While this is a large undertaking, it also presents a tremendous opportunity to efficiently integrate advances made in one stage of the disease throughout.  Building upon our long-standing experience and expertise in the MD Anderson melanoma program of establishing clinically annotated tumor banks, developing and refining staging and prognostic models, and biomarker discovery, the Melanoma Moon Shot will develop approaches to rapidly integrate advances in understanding and/or treatment to achieve impact on patient care most efficiently and effectively.

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Our Team

The Moon Shot leaders are charged with galvanizing the large and integrated team that will move forward in a milestone-driven manner to convert scientific knowledge into drugs, tests, devices and policies that can benefit patients as quickly as possible.

  • Jeffrey Gershenwald, M. D.

    Jeffrey Gershenwald, M.D.

    Professor, Surgical Oncology
  • Michael Davies, M. D.

    Michael Davies, M.D., Ph.D.

    Assistant Professor, Melanoma Medical Oncology
  • Jeffrey Gershenwald, M. D.

    Jeffrey Gershenwald, M.D.

    Professor, Surgical Oncology

  • Michael Davies, M. D.

    Michael Davies, M.D., Ph.D.

    Assistant Professor, Melanoma Medical Oncology

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Our Stories

These MD Anderson patients are surviving and thriving after their melanoma diagnosis. What we have learned from their cancer journeys provides the launch platform for the Melanoma Moon Shot.

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  • Sandy Pierce

    Sandy Pierce

    Melanoma

    Always an outdoorsy person, Sandy was feeling great and running five miles a day when he discovered the lump in his armpit. His physician brother-in-law urged him to have it checked out at MD Anderson. From there, things happened very fast. “My first appointment was on a Wednesday when they confirmed the melanoma diagnosis, and they started treatment that Friday,” he says. Despite a grueling treatment regimen that included biochemotherapy, lymph node removal, radiation and 12 months of high-dose interferon, Pierce never became depressed. Talking about his cancer and treatment with others like him was another coping mechanism that got him through tough times. Pierce says he hopes someday to get involved in formal counseling of cancer patients, providing the same support and encouragement that meant so much to him.
    Read the full story…

  • Jason Connelly

    Jason Connelly

    Melanoma

    Jason Connelly says his cancer diagnosis brought him closer to his son and wife and put him on a quest to give back. Years after the removal of a mole with melanoma, Connelly felt sick and learned through surgery that the mole had developed into stage IV melanoma. Still, the will and determination to overcome his disease was enormous. Connelly made a conscious decision to one day see his young son’s wedding and knew that hope would carry him through. Beating the odds, he’s now a healthy and proud dad and husband, who is dedicated to raising awareness of melanoma. Read the full story…

  • Sandy Pierce

    Sandy Pierce

    Melanoma

    Always an outdoorsy person, Sandy was feeling great and running five miles a day when he discovered the lump in his armpit. His physician brother-in-law urged him to have it checked out at MD Anderson. From there, things happened very fast. “My first appointment was on a Wednesday when they confirmed the melanoma diagnosis, and they started treatment that Friday,” he says. Despite a grueling treatment regimen that included biochemotherapy, lymph node removal, radiation and 12 months of high-dose interferon, Pierce never became depressed. Talking about his cancer and treatment with others like him was another coping mechanism that got him through tough times. Pierce says he hopes someday to get involved in formal counseling of cancer patients, providing the same support and encouragement that meant so much to him.
    Read the full story…

  • Jason Connelly

    Jason Connelly

    Melanoma

    Jason Connelly says his cancer diagnosis brought him closer to his son and wife and put him on a quest to give back. Years after the removal of a mole with melanoma, Connelly felt sick and learned through surgery that the mole had developed into stage IV melanoma. Still, the will and determination to overcome his disease was enormous. Connelly made a conscious decision to one day see his young son’s wedding and knew that hope would carry him through. Beating the odds, he’s now a healthy and proud dad and husband, who is dedicated to raising awareness of melanoma. Read the full story…

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Melanoma Resources

Links, video and audio podcasts with more information from MD Anderson about melanoma

Information

Multimedia

 

 

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