Better Targeting Melanoma: Options Beyond Surgery and Conventional Chemotherapy

Abstract

Skin cancer is the commonest malignant tumour in white skinned individuals in the western world. The incidence of skin cancer is on the rise. Case fatality for melanoma is probably the highest, not only among skin cancers but also among all types of cancers. The notion that cancer stem cells are responsible for disease progress and development has lead researchers towards these initiators of new metastases. Intra- and extracellular path inhibitors are targeted in eliminating crucial functions of tumor cells. Treatments are easily escaped from stem cells with pluripotent functional and proliferative potential. Immunomodulators are a useful treatment adjunct for highly immunogenic cancers such as malignant melanoma. Specific lineages of tumor cells are responsible for this modulation and targeting this cancer function with specific antibodies appears to be a reasonable but also effective treatment option. Chemoprotective agents have been proposed as a mean of reducing dose dependent toxicities and enlarging the therapeutic window of anticancer drugs. Current patent laws skew biomedical research to products that yield high profits rather than to global priority health needs in both developed and developing countries and with melanoma benefiting from this skew many new patents will continue to emerge. Most patents reported in this review follow the cytostatic rather than the cytotoxic paradigm. Based on this trend, one might anticipate that the goal for future advances in the treatment of melanoma patients would be to prolong their lifespan rather than cure them.

Anti-Cancer Drug Validation: the Contribution of Tissue Engineered Models

“…Of all types of skin cancer, melanoma is the most malignant form that presents the highest mortality rates within Europe and United States of America, which is increasing dramatically at a rate of 3-7% a year [60,61]. While the surgical removal of these early neoplastic cells results in 90% of cure rates, its late detection has a poor survival prognosis [62], mainly because metastatic disease derived from melanoma fails to respond to most treatments Despite the success of conventional drugs to inhibit cell growth in 2D cultures, most of them fail to do so in 3D tissue cultures, suggesting a potential role of the cellular microenvironment in the process of melanoma development.…”

Novel Antimicrobial Agents for the Management of Maxillofacial and Neck Infections

“…Derivatives of quinazoline are described as a quinazoline compounds. They have been used in various areas especially as an anti-cancer treatment agent [34]. Reducing bacteria in the mouth of a subject infected with e.g.…”

“…The development of new agents along with the primary surgical treatment modality being drainage, allowed for handling of the increasing antibacterial resistance [57]. Currently, patent laws skew biomedical research to products that yield high profits rather than to global priority health needs [34]. In both developed and developing countries the pharmaceutical industry has reduced its research efforts in infections while genomics has not delivered the anticipated novel therapeutics [57].…”

“…In both developed and developing countries the pharmaceutical industry has reduced its research efforts in infections while genomics has not delivered the anticipated novel therapeutics [57]. In the meantime, new regulatory requirements have increased costs [34] while evidence based approached increasingly question the broad use of antibiotics in common infections like bronchitis and sinusitis; [57] therefore, compared with other drugs, return on investments is lower for antimicrobials [57].…”

Para-Phenylenediamine Induces Apoptotic Death of Melanoma Cells and Reduces Melanoma Tumour Growth in Mice

“…Melanoma is one of the most notorious types of cancer known to us. Studies indicate that melanoma is resistant to most types of chemotherapy by exploiting their intrinsic apoptosis resistance and by reprogramming the proliferative pathways during melanoma development [ 1 – 3 ]. Recent studies show that melanoma cells have the ability to delay apoptotic death [ 4 ].…”