March 16, 2018
Ask the Doctors – Is there really a link between wine and melanoma risk?
Dear Doctor: Given a choice, I’ll always choose white wine over red. But a recent study linking white wine to increased melanoma risk made me reconsider. Am I overreacting? Dear Reader: This is a difficult question without a simple answer — so let’s start with some basics. Alcohol metabolizes into the chemical acetaldehyde, which can […]
Tags: alcohol consumption, breast cancer, caffeine intake, cancer, colon cancer, disease, DNA mutations, Dr. Robert Ashley, epidimiology, liver cancer, melanoma, melanoma risk
September 25, 2017
New clinical trial could boost immunotherapy’s power against cancer
By Tiare Dunlap 
Good news: Cancer survival rates are improving. The five-year cancer survival rate has risen from 49 percent in the mid-1970s to 69 percent in 2013, even as the U.S. cancer death rate has decreased by 25 percent through 2014. But these rates could be even better. A new clinical trial led by Dr. Antoni Ribas […]
Tags: aggressive cancer, Antoni Ribas, cancer treatment, clinical trial, immunotherapy, immunotherapy clinical trial, late stage cancer, melanoma, UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center, UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center
August 23, 2017
A doctor’s note for sunscreen at school? Why that’s a mistake
By Ryan Hatoum 
An estimated 80 percent of a person’s exposure to ultraviolet radiation — most of it from sunlight — occurs before the age of 18. Sunscreen is one of our primary defense mechanisms against ultraviolet radiation, but schools across the United States face a challenge because the Food and Drug Administration classifies sunscreen as an over-the-counter […]
Tags: back to school, broad-spectrum sunscreen, dermatology, Marcia Hogeling, melanoma, pediatric, pediatric dermatology, pediatrics, skin cancer, skin care, SPF, sun
April 13, 2017
Immunotherapy Is Making a Huge Difference!
By bryantinsb
In May 2016 I received a stunning diagnosis of metastatic melanoma from UCLA’s Dr. Bartosz Chmielowski and my oncologist in Santa Barbara, Dr. Mark Abate. These two amazing doctors agreed that I was a good candidate for the new miracle immunotherapy drugs, which activate one’s immune system to fight cancer. At the time, cancer permeated […]
Tags: cancer, cancer patients, cancer treatment, clinical trials, CT scan, Dr. Bartosz Chmielowski, families, immune system, immunotherapy drugs, immunotherapy process, melanoma, Melanoma without a Cause
January 17, 2017
While winter skies may look dreary, protecting your skin is still “in”
When weather forecasts are filled with predictions of wind, rain and frosty temperatures, it’s easy to forget that the sun and its potentially harmful rays are still out there. Even during the dead of winter, it is still important to protect your skin. Our skin is the largest organ in our bodies, and a recent […]
Tags: acral lentiginous melanoma, bleeding mole, blemish, cancer, dark spots, dermatologist, dermatology, Dr. Anabella Pascucci, Dr. Paul Levins, environmental factors, facial blemishes, full-body skin exam
July 7, 2016
Caring, Competence and Teamwork produced Good Results
Caring, Competence, Teamwork and Good Results My dermatologist told me the biopsy indicated that the growth located on my face between my left ear and eye was Melanoma. He referred me to Dr. Fritz Eilber at UCLA, whom I met the day after Christmas. He reviewed the specifics of my case and told me that […]
Tags: cancer, dermatology, Dr. Fritz Eilber, Dr. Maie St. John, Dr. Vishad Nabili, geriatrics, hematology, melanoma, oncology, patient stories, reconstruction
June 7, 2016
Pembrolizumab (Keytruda®) Offers New Hope for Patients with Metastatic Melanoma
By uclahealth 
In the summer of 2015, a brand-new cancer therapy known as “Jimmy Carter’s cancer drug” shot to fame. Called pembrolizumab, it was instrumental in former President Jimmy Carter’s successful treatment for metastatic melanoma. Previously, patients with metastatic melanoma (skin cancer that has spread to other areas of the body) could undergo a combination of treatment […]
Tags: cancer drug, chemotherapy, immune system, immunotherapy, keytruda, melanoma, metastatic melanoma, pembrolizumab, radiation therapy, skin cancer, skin diseases, surgery
January 25, 2016
By uclahealth
I have melanoma, stage 4. It’s in the liver, lungs, and brain,” says Laura Mayes, 40-year-old wife and mother.
Tags: brain tumor, cancer, clinical trial, liver tumor, lung tumor, melanoma, patient stories
October 1, 2010
Melanoma Survivor – Bill’s Story
By uclahealth
Melanoma Survivor Celebrates Two Birthdays Now Bill Bushnell now has two birthdays—the day he was born and the day he was reborn. Bushnell never expected to be reborn. Diagnosed in May 2005 with stage IV metastatic melanoma, his prognosis was not good. The cancer had spread to his lungs by the time doctors found it. […]
Tags: cancer, Dr. Antoni Ribas, Dr. John Glaspy, melanoma
November 1, 2008
Melanoma Survivor is Loving Life
By uclahealth
The melanoma had spread throughout his body. It was everywhere, and none of the surgeries or chemotherapies or radiation seemed to work. So Joseph Rick planned a trip to Illinois and bought a grave plot next to his father. Once a big guy, he’d lost 165 pounds. He could barely walk. He was 40 and […]
Tags: cancer, clinical trial, Dr. Antoni Ribas, Dr. John Glaspy, melanoma, UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center
