Potential to Halt Aggressive Melanoma

November 28, 2016

 In a landmark discovery, researchers at Tel Aviv University (TAU) have unraveled the metastatic mechanism of melanoma—the most aggressive and lethal type of skin cancer. Melanoma causes the death of one person every 52 minutes and despite a range of therapies developed over the years, there is still no full remedy for this life-threatening disease. A recent study at Tel Aviv University proposes new and effective methods for diagnosing and preventing this most deadly of skin cancers.

“The threat of melanoma is not in the initial tumor that appears on the skin, but rather in its metastasis—cancer cells sent off to colonize in vital organs like the brain, lungs, liver and bones,” says research leader Dr. Carmit Levy. “We discovered how the cancer spreads to distant organs and found ways to stop the process before the metastatic stage.”

The researchers began by examining pathology samples taken from melanoma patients, and the findings were striking indeed. “We looked at samples of early melanoma,” says Dr. Levy. “To our surprise we found changes that had never before been reported, in the morphology of the dermis—the inner layer of the skin. Our next task was to find out what these changes were and how they related to melanoma.” In the ensuing long and complex study the group was able to discover—and also block—a central mechanism in the metastasis of melanoma.

According to Dr. Levy, scientists have known for years that melanoma forms in the outer layer of the skin, the epidermis. At this early stage the cancer is unable to send off colonizing cancer cells because it has no access to blood vessels. The tumor needs to contact the abundant blood vessels running through the dermis. But how?

“We found that even before the cancer itself invades the dermis, it sends out tiny vesicles containing molecules of microRNA. It now became clear to us that by blocking the vesicles, we may be able to stop the disease altogether.”

Researchers proceeded to look for substances that could intervene and block the process in its earliest stages. They found two such chemicals. Both were tested successfully in the lab and may serve as promising candidates for future drugs. In addition, the changes in the dermis, as well as the vesicles themselves, can be used as powerful indicators for early diagnosis of melanoma.

“Our study is an important step on the road to a full remedy for the deadliest skin cancer,” says Dr. Levy.

Source: Excerpt of article by Ministry of Foreign Affairs