£13,307 in donations so far!
Make your donation go further with Gift aid
Recent donors
View all
PaulWilliamsOran donated £25.64
To help a friend of a friend
nige.murdoch donated £128.21
Better late than never! tremendous effort - well done
Share this project
What’s this project about?
The number of people diagnosed with malignant melanoma each year in the UK is increasing at an alarming rate. When detected early, there is a good chance of successful treatment. But if the cancer has spread, the outlook is much poorer.
Professor Peter Mortimer is investigating how melanoma spreads – research that could lead to new treatments in the future to slow down or prevent the spread of the disease.
What is the science behind the project?
Cancer cells can undergo changes that allow them to break away from the original tumour and invade a nearby blood or lymph vessel. They can then travel around the body and start growing elsewhere.
Melanoma cells tend to travel via the lymphatic system (the body’s drainage system). This is why Professor Mortimer’s team is specifically investigating how this system is involved in melanoma spread. What sets this project apart is that they are studying the suspected melanomas while they are still in situ in patients’ skin - just before they have surgery.
The researchers are inviting people with suspected melanoma attending skin cancer clinics to take part. Before people have surgery, the team will carry out a number of sophisticated tests to find out more about the lymph vessels in and around their tumour.
After surgery to remove their tumour, tests will confirm if the person has melanoma - and if so, whether their disease has spread.
Professor Mortimer hopes to see key differences in the lymphatic system between people with melanoma that has spread and those where it has not. This knowledge could ultimately lead to new drugs that help prevent the spread of the disease.
The difference you can make
Over the last 25 years, rates of malignant melanoma have risen faster than any other common cancer in Britain. Understanding how melanoma spreads could lead to new treatments in the future.
Please help us raise £60,000 to help fund approximately half of the laboratory running costs and researcher support salaries for Professor Mortimer’s research into melanoma.
Personalising treatment
The team will also keep track of the patients’ recovery after their treatment. They are aiming to identify clues that could help doctors predict how a person’s melanoma might behave, enabling them to select the most effective treatment for that individual.
For more information about melanoma skin cancer you can visit our CancerHelp UK website melanoma skin cancer pages.
Meet Carolyn
Carloyn Battrick discovered a mole on her leg. She visited the skin cancer clinic to have it removed. Before she had surgery she agreed to be part of Professor Mortimer’s clinical trial. Thankfully the melanoma had not spread and Carolyn still enjoys her games of tennis.
If you want to learn more about how to be SunSmart and find out the facts about skin cancer then visit our SunSmart site.
Donate now and you can help improve the outlook for people with melanoma.
