Dermatologist Eduardo Nagore analyzes the latest scientific advances on melanoma
The Dermatology has made great strides in treating the skin cancerincluding detection of melanomas. This pathology has become one of the main causes of the vast majority of deaths caused by skin cancer, however, the specialist Eduardo Nagoremember of the Spanish Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (AEDV), states in Medical Writing that in recent years “techniques have been improved, such as the image recognitionoffering the possibility in the future of having an approximation of what the diagnosis using devices, detecting melanoma or skin cancer”. Despite this, professionals face a ‘workhorse’ in dealing with these pathologies: the side effects of treatments.
As far as melanoma is concerned, Nagore affirms that “the most powerful advances in this aspect have gone hand in hand with other cancers. A few years ago it was possible to identify which of the genes that are mutated in tumor son likely to be modified or to block the negative effect produced”.
For the Clinical Chief of the Dermatology Service of the Valencian Institute of Oncology (IVO), notable progress has been made in two different ways regarding melanoma: “The first big section of improvements was the existence of drugs that go against mutations BRAF, typical of melanoma. Resistance was found to continue and inhibitors were added. MEK, another molecule that is sometimes mutated and is found in the center of the signaling line. This was an advance and in that line there are other mutations such as KITso that Little by little, more relevant innovations will come out.”
“The second big block has brought about a revolution in cancer treatment and is the immunotherapy. One of the mechanisms that generate cancer cells is that they slip past the body’s defenses, blocking the immune system. What we are working on now is developing drugs that unblock this blockage. Is about regulators that modify the communication between lymphocytes, defense cells and the neoplasm in order to destroy them”, he argues.
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“Immunotherapy has been a revolution in cancer treatment” |
New surgical techniques to treat melanoma
Despite these notable advances, Nagore considers the fact that “all drugs have side effects. The first thing to consider is what it will respond and then within those who respond know which one is going to have a unacceptable side effect. Finding out which people are not going to tolerate well is the other big battle we are fighting. In that aspect they are taking biomarkersbut there is nothing definitive at the moment”.
Not all melanomas are the same and Nagore assures that “it is currently standardized the treatment of melanoma. Despite this, there are some types of melanoma that have special behaviors. They have a growth that we cannot see with the eye and in the microscope melanoma goes beyond what we see. It happens with him lentigo malignaa typical melanoma that appears in areas of chronic exposure with a lot of sun damage or ultraviolet radiation and that are detected with a large size.
Depending on the melanoma that a person suffers from, different surgical techniques that Nagore describes in detail: “When it appears, in a type of damaged skin it is not easy to set limits, despite there being techniques such as microscopia confocal which helps define it better. Even so, the interpretation is complicated, so we do not know exactly how far it goes. The margin control surgery is used especially for lentigo maligna which normally appears in method, where it is sometimes difficult to distinguish the limits because they appear in the context of skin that is very affected by the sun. It could also play a relevant role in other types of melanoma, such as lentiginoso acralwhich usually appears in Palms of the hands Y soles of the feet.
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“Margin-controlled surgery is used especially for lentigo maligna” |
Nagore details that within this type of margin control treatment, the Moh’s surgerythe most typical, but mainly there are variants that what they do is analyze by stagesthey make a margin map and the pathologist analyzes the entire circumference and says if you have left one area with tumor that you haven’t seen From here, all the necessary interventions are carried out to ensure that everything is removed. In this way it is achieved save fabric instead of putting an ax of x centimeters”.
Early detection of melanoma
Preventing all kinds of skin cancer is extremely important and, as the dermatologist states, its early detection is “an aspect of vital importance in relation to melanomas. The most important thing to stop or reduce the mortality is to assume that anyone can get melanoma, not just someone who has risk factor’s. You can have no theoretical risk and still have melanoma.”
On the other hand, there are between 15 and 20 percent of melanomas that grow up Quite Quick, in a matter of weeks or months. Because of this, it is essential check skin for reduce mortality, a fact that people should incorporate into their usual routine, the practice of reviewing the entire skin once a month. We have methods like the sign of the Ugly Duckling oh go glasgow seven pointsvital for its detection”, adds the dermatologist.
Although it may contain statements, data or notes from health institutions or professionals, the information contained in Medical Writing is edited and prepared by journalists. We recommend the reader that any questions related to health be consulted with a health professional.