Cutaneous melanoma is a highly aggressive cancer with still limited, but increasingly efficacious, standard treatment options. Recent preclinical and clinical findings support the notion that cutaneous melanoma is not one malignant disorder but rather a family of distinct molecular diseases. Incorporation of genetic signatures into the conventional histopathological classification of melanoma already has great implications for the management of cutaneous melanoma. Herein, we review our rapidly growing understanding of the molecular biology of cutaneous melanoma, including the pathogenic roles of the mitogen-associated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway, the phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase [PI3K]/phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted on chromosome 10 [PTEN]/Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin [mTOR])PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homolog) pathway, MET (hepatocyte growth factor), Notch signaling, and other key molecules regulating cell cycle progression and apoptosis. The mutation Val600Glu in the BRAF oncogene (designated BRAF(V600E)) has been associated with clinical benefit from agents that inhibit BRAF(V600E) or MEK (a kinase in the MAPK pathway). Cutaneous melanomas arising from mucosal, acral, chronically sun-damaged surfaces sometimes have oncogenic mutations in KIT, against which several inhibitors have shown clinical efficacy. These findings suggest that prospective genotyping of patients with melanoma, combined with the growing availability of targeted agents, which can be used to rationally exploit these findings, should be used increasingly as we work to develop new and more effective treatments for this devastating disease.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.3233/CBM-2011-0164 | DOI Listing |
PLoS One
January 2025
Center of Excellence in Plant-produced Pharmaceuticals, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Anti-programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have proven to be effective in treating various cancers, including colorectal, lung, and melanoma. Despite their clinical success, some patients develop resistance to mAbs, requiring co-treatments with radio- or chemotherapy. Interleukin-15 (IL-15) is an immunostimulatory cytokine that promotes immune cell production and proliferation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOphthalmologie
January 2025
Klinik für Augenheilkunde, Klinikum Chemnitz, Flemmingstr. 2, 09116, Chemnitz, Deutschland.
Background: Damage induced by ultraviolet (UV) radiation plays a decisive role in the carcinogenesis of malignant tumors of the eyelids.
Methods: A selective literature search was performed in PubMed and Google Scholar.
Results: Large epidemiological studies show an increase in the prevalence of eyelid tumors in recent decades.
Cancer Rep (Hoboken)
January 2025
Department of Medical Oncology, Hematology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India.
Introduction: With the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and targeted therapies, the clinical outcomes of metastatic melanoma have drastically improved. The current scenario has reduced the use of chemotherapy as a first-line treatment. We report an interesting case of a patient with stage IV ano-rectal canal malignant melanoma with an exceptional response to single-agent temozolomide.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlzheimers Dement
January 2025
The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
Observational studies on the cancer-dementia relationship have yielded controversial results. This study systematically reviews the evidence to clarify this association. We searched Embase, Global Health, Ovid Medline, and APA PsycInfo.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFActa Pharm Sin B
December 2024
School of Pharmacy, Institute of Hepatology and Metabolic Diseases, Department of Hepatology, the Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 311121, China.
Specific tumor-targeted gene delivery remains an unsolved therapeutic issue due to aberrant vascularization in tumor microenvironment (TME). Some bacteria exhibit spontaneous chemotaxis toward the anaerobic and immune-suppressive TME, which makes them ideal natural vehicles for cancer gene therapy. Here, we conjugated ZIF-8 metal-organic frameworks encapsulating eukaryotic murine interleukin 2 () expression plasmid onto the surface of VNP20009, an attenuated strain with well-documented anti-cancer activity, and constructed a TME-targeted delivery system named /ZIF-8@.
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