Members of UCSD Cancer Center s new Melanoma Care Unit include medical oncologists, surgical oncologists, dermatologists, pathologists, nurses, genetic counselors and basic scientists.
Malignant melanoma is one of the most virulent and deadly types of cancer.
It is one of only two major cancers increasing in incidence in the United States, and it is increasing rapidly. If diagnosed and treated early, melanoma is highly curable, said Edward F. McClay, M.D., director of the Melanoma Care Unit at UCSD Cancer Center and a respected national authority on melanoma. Unfortunately, if it recurs, it often does so with a much more aggressive and lethal personality. Currently, when melanoma metastasizes, or establishes new tumor colonies in other parts of the body, there are few treatment options available. McClay and his colleagues, however, are developing new therapies that are now being tested in clinical trials at UCSD Cancer Center.