Active clinical trials for "Melanoma"

This is a multi-centric translational study with biological samples collection. The aim of this study is to validate a method to detect BRAFV600 in blood samples. Samples: Blood from patients with BRAFV600 metastatic melanoma collected following standard medical practice. The treatment is not the aim of the study. Patients can be treated either with specific or no-specific drug.

The purpose of this study is to show how well a new device, confocal microscope, works to detect malignant melanoma, a type of skin cancer.

Objective: To investigated the impact of the excision of melanoma 2mm≤ in thickness with 1cm surgical margins on survival of the patients compared with 2 cm surgical margins. Background: Early recognition and appropriate excision play a crucial role in management of malignant melanoma, while the size of surrounding normal skin that should be excised is area of controversies. Methods: The investigators will conduct a retrospective population-based survey in patients with primary melanoma 2 mm≤ in thickness undergoing tumor excision with 1 cm and 2 cm margins in the investigators center. For both groups, the patients' charts reviewed for data including patient gender, age, tumor location, tumor type, Clark's level, Breslow thickness, tumor type, presence of ulceration, findings of sentinel nodes, local recurrences, locoregional metastases, disease free survival and overall survival were calculated for both groups.

The purpose of this study is to examine the health behaviors of melanoma survivors. We want to know about their thoughts and concerns. Melanoma is a type of skin cancer. The number of people being diagnosed with melanoma is growing. Many people who are diagnosed with melanoma are young. Little research has been done to find out how melanoma survivors feel years after they have been treated.

The goal of this study is to measure the amount of limb swelling (lymphedema) that sometimes occurs after melanoma treatment, and to find out how people feel and react to the diagnosis and treatment of melanoma.

Patients who are diagnosed with choroidal melanoma and undergo I-125 plaque or enucleation surgery consent to participate in the study. A tumor sample taken during surgery is studied in the lab for genetic features. These features and features of subjects' clinical course are recorded. Analysis of the data may identify genetic features that are indicative of prognostic factors including risk of metastasis.

Patients diagnosed with ocular melanoma consent to participate in the study. Combined PET/CT scans of the whole body are performed at baseline, three months later, and six months after that for a total of three combined scans in the first year. Subsequently, these combined scans will be performed at 6-monthly intervals for a total of two combined scans per year.

In collaboration with members of The International Melanoma Consortium, we propose to study melanoma in families lacking mutations in the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2 (CDKN2 or p16) gene, or the cyclin-dependant kinase 4 (CDK4). CDKN2 and CDK4 are both genes that encode presumed tumor suppressor genes, mutant forms of which are known to cause increased susceptibility to melanoma. The purpose of the present study then is to confirm the existence of and to identify additional gene(s) involved in heritable melanoma (cutaneous and ocular) and their precursor lesions (atypical nevi) by linkage analysis and gene mapping strategies. It is clear that the risk to develop atypical nevi and/or melanoma is strongly influenced by genetic and environmental factors (e.g. sun exposure). Characterization of such genes could provide important insights into the inheritance, pathogenesis, and treatment of this increasingly important disease.

Patients with Parkinson's disease will be seen by a dermatologist who will biopsy any suspicious skin lesions.

Doctors will take some tissue from the tissue removed during surgery in order to study how the blood vessels of the tumor respond to radiation therapy. The tissue obtained will be used to determine how these tumor blood vessels respond to radiation therapy delivered to the tumor, after it has been removed. This radiation is delivered in the research lab. This research is being conducted in order to develop new methods to treat tumors by radiation therapy. No additional surgery will be performed to obtain these samples, and only materials that remain after all diagnostic testing has been completed will be used.