Skin cancer: understanding how the disease spreads
Last updated: 04/05/2010
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.
Watch the video to find out more about Professor Mortimer's work.
Supporting this project
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Josephine donated
£76.92
I have recently been diagno...
I have recently been diagnosed with malignant melanoma and arranged a barbecue where we raised £60 towards research. 
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Angus donated
£64.10
Still missing you cous! Out...
Still missing you cous! Outings not the same without you. Will hold our memories close to me always. Big Cous.
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Wendy donated
£20.00
In memory of Philip Nixon
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Jim & Joy donated
£64.10
Project update - fundraising period is closed
Fundraising for this phase of Professor Peter Mortimer’s research into the spread of malignant melanoma has closed. His project will continue as scheduled until the end of September.
The gifts you have made to this project, including the Gift Aid, have gone to support Professor Mortimer’s work. We spoke with the Professor to hear about the impact your support has had on research into skin cancer:
This exciting work has already been presented at international scientific conferences to help share knowledge and ideas about the best way to tackle cancer and to further research in the field.
The project on lymphatic function is now nearing completion. A big thank you to the volunteers who took part in the study and to the generous benefactors of this work.
Read more about what this project has acheived>
What has this project achieved?
Professor Mortimer has carried out the first ever study to look at how well lymph vessels are working around people’s moles and melanomas in people in ’real life,’ before they are removed by surgery.
Scientists know from previous research that new lymph vessels develop around melanomas, meaning there is a much denser lymphatic network around the tumour. And researchers predict that if they can design drugs to prevent the growth of new lymph vessels, this could slow or prevent cancer spread.
However, the new lymph vessels also need to be working properly to transport cancer cells away from the original tumour. So Professor Mortimer set up this study to test how well lymph vessels around melanomas are functioning compared to healthy vessels elsewhere in the skin.
Surprisingly, Professor Mortimer and his team found that around melanomas, there are actually fewer lymph vessels functioning well enough to carry substances - such as cancer cells - around the body than there are in normal areas of the same person’s skin. This difference was only seen in people with melanoma, not in those with a benign mole.
What happens next?
The results suggest that the new lymph vessels that develop specifically around melanomas behave differently to vessels in healthy skin and around benign moles. The next step is to understand how these differences affect the ability of melanoma cells to spread around the body.
Once scientists have a detailed understanding of this, they’ll be in prime position to develop new drugs that can prevent cancer spread and improve survival for people with melanoma.
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.
Read more about this project >
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.
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.
Continue supporting research into skin cancer
Cancer Research UK’s groundbreaking research is funded entirely by people like you. Over the last twenty-five years, rates of malignant melanoma in Britain have risen faster than any other common cancer, so it’s crucial to continue supporting research into the disease.
Please check out another important project that needs your funding: Professor Mark Middleton’s research, which could lead to new tests that help doctors predict whether a drug called Avastin can help prevent an individual’s melanoma from returning after surgery.
If you have set up a Giving Group for this project, you can pledge any future donations to a new project by logging in to the "MyProfile" area in MyProjects and clicking on the "Edit My Group"’ option. Visit the FAQs to find out more.
