Malignant melanoma is regarded as one the most dangerous and
life-threatening skin cancers. More recently, melanoma mortality and morbidity
rates have significantly increased during the past few decades on a global
scale. It is especially more rampant in people of Celtic and Northern European
origin that maintain fair skin types. If caught early with accurate diagnosing,
a good prognosis can be made shortly followed by curable treatments. However,
if the melanoma is left undiagnosed it can become insidiously progressive and
metastasize throughout the rest of the body. After the point of metastasis, a localized
skin excision where the melanoma originally manifested is no longer a viable
treatment option. Aggressive oncological treatments such as radiation, chemotherapy,
and invasive surgeries must quickly be pursued in order to preserve the life of
the patient. The problem with some of these treatments is that they are non-cell
specific regarding the actual cancer/tumor cells. When the body is treated with
radiation or chemotherapy, there is a high potential of affecting non-carcinogenic
cells in the body that don’t necessarily require treatment.
Recently, there has been cell-specific studies conducted
involving competitive molecule inhibitors that directly suppress malignant
melanoma tumors. Researchers are utilizing murine (mice) models to facilitate
further insight into how these mechanisms work. Treatments with competitive molecule
tumor suppressors have conclusively proven to halt melanoma tumor growth in
mice while increasing the overall survival expectancy. Although these studies
have demonstrated the efficacy of cell-specific pathways by interfering with
tumor growth, there were also negatively observed side effects pertaining to the
immune systems of the mice that were treated with the inhibitory drug. It’s important
that we try to minimalize these side effects associated with tumor inhibitory
drugs so that they may be implemented into future melanoma treatments without causing
harm to the patient. Further research is necessary in order to fully comprehend
the complex mechanisms behind the tumor suppressing inhibitory effects of these
molecules. This will also allow scientists to simultaneously study how they affect
the immune system negatively in order to make the corrections necessary to
lessen these particular side effects. These cell-specific pathway studies give
promising insight and demonstrate future capabilities that science may be able
to offer patients who have been diagnosed with metastatic melanoma.
