Melanoma

Research

Mayo Clinic is among the nation's top cancer research institutions and has an innovative, world-renowned melanoma research program. More than 90 researchers in 15 medical specialties at all three Mayo Clinic locations work together to improve treatment options and the chance of recovery for patients with melanoma. They continually develop and study melanoma treatment combinations in clinical trials to find new therapies that may prolong patients' survival and improve their quality of life.

Mayo researchers are currently studying widespread (metastatic), late-stage melanoma treatment combinations, including drug groupings, gene therapy, vaccines, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, skin creams, tumor-inhibiting chemical agents and cryotherapy (cell freezing).

Researchers have recently discovered a second-line treatment combination of two chemotherapy drugs that appears to provide benefits for patients with metastatic melanoma after treatment with oral medications. Many advanced experimental therapy combinations such as this are available only at Mayo through participation in clinical trials.

Mayo Clinic scientists also have established a databank of information on hundreds of melanoma patients who volunteer to provide blood or tissue samples and in-depth information about their cases and risk factors. As it grows, this databank will help answer questions about melanoma risk factors and the most appropriate treatment options.

Publications

See list of publications from Mayo doctors on melanoma on PubMed, a service of the National Library of Medicine.