London, Sept 20 : A study has found that millions of people are putting themselves at risk of developing skin cancer, because they believe that a spray tan will protect them from getting sunburnt.

The study found that one in six women believe that a fake tan works like a sunscreen and nearly half think their foundation make-up provides them with protection from the sun's harmful rays.

Washington, August 19 : Researchers have developed a new drug to treat malignant melanoma, a deadliest form of skin cancer.

Powerful X-ray technology developed at the U. S. Department of Energy''s (DOE''s) national laboratories has revealed new insights into diseases ranging from Alzheimer''s to the swine flu, and, most recently, enabled the discovery of a groundbreaking new drug treatment for malignant melanoma.

Washington, Apr 16: A team of scientists at the National Institutes of Health has become the first to systematically survey the landscape of the melanoma genome, the DNA code of the deadliest form of skin cancer.

The researchers have made surprising new discoveries using whole-exome sequencing, an approach that decodes the 1-2 percent of the genome that contains protein-coding genes.

London, Mar 27 : A breakthrough cancer drug has been given the go-ahead to treat late-stage melanoma.

The injectable drug Yervoy hailed as the first to prolong the lives of patients with melanoma as been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, reports the Daily Mail.

The drug, known chemically as ipilimumab, only worked in a small proportion of patients studied, and on average they lived just four months longer than patients given older medications.

London, Mar 26: A breakthrough cancer drug has been given the go-ahead to treat late-stage melanoma.

The injectable drug Yervoy hailed as the first to prolong the lives of patients with melanoma as been approved by the Food and Drug Administration, reports the Daily Mail.

The drug, known chemically as ipilimumab, only worked in a small proportion of patients studied, and on average they lived just four months longer than patients given older medications.

But experts say it''s milestone in treating the deadliest form of skin cancer.

Washington, Feb 24: High-resolution images from a laser-based tool could help doctors better diagnose melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer, according to researchers at Duke University.

The tool probes skin cells using two lasers to pump small amounts of energy, less than that of a laser pointer, into a suspicious mole.

London, Feb 24 : A tiny laser can detect signs of skin cancer and save thousands of lives, scientists say.

The device fires a double laser beam, with less combined energy than a laser pointer, into a suspicious mole and analyses the locations of different skin pigments.

Washington, Feb 22: A new study has found that women experience more health-related quality of life issues than men for up to 10 years following a diagnosis of the skin cancer melanoma.

Washington, Feb 22: A new study has found that women experience more health-related quality of life issues than men for up to 10 years following a diagnosis of the skin cancer melanoma.

London, Feb 4 : Scientists have discovered that an unexpected immune protein exacerbates cancer due to sun exposure.

Their study suggests that drugs blocking the protein might halt tumor growth in skin cancer patients.

Cutaneous melanoma, an aggressive form of skin cancer, appears to be on the rise. And mortality rates from this difficult-to-treat disease are some of the highest in cancer.

London, Jan 23 : A light-emitting sticking plaster, which could be used at home at a cost of just 100 pounds, could now potentially help thousands of people diagnosed with skin cancer.

The high-tech device, Ambulight, contains photodynamic therapy (PDT) that combines with a light-sensitive drug to destroy cancer cells, reports the Daily Mail.

Washington, Dec 21: A new study has revealed that few tanners-male or female-mention avoiding tanning beds when asked about ways to reduce skin cancer risk.

The study also suggested that women are more likely to report use of indoor tanning facilities than men, and some characteristics common to indoor tanners differ by sex.

London, Nov 30 : Pensioners in Britain are three times more likely to die of skin cancer compared to 30 years ago. The reason - cheap package holidays to countries such as Spain, Portugal and Greece.

The number of over-65s being diagnosed with malignant melanoma has risen by five times in the past 30 years and they are more at risk than any other age group.

Washington, Oct 19 : Researchers at the University of California, Irvine, are exploring new ways to image cancerous lesions using LEDs that might advance a technique for treating cancer called photodynamic therapy (PDT).

In PDT, photosensitizing chemicals that absorb light are injected into a tumor, which is then exposed to light. The chemicals generate oxygen radicals from the light energy, destroying the cancer cells.

Washington, Oct 19 : A new study has suggested that vigilance against skin cancer can cause vitamin D deficiency.

Patients with basal cell nevus syndrome-which might lead to non-melanoma skin cancers-are at a higher risk for vitamin D deficiency if they take steps to protect themselves from sunlight.

Washington, Aug 31 : A new research has identified cancer cells called ''co-conspirator'' in the genesis of melanoma - a finding that could be the key to predicting and preventing skin cancer.

Apart from the body''s pigment-producing cells where melanoma takes hold, other skin cells in what''s called the "microenvironment" of the cancer site also play a key role, Oregon State University scientists said.

Washington, Aug 17 : Love basking in the sun, but scared of those harmful sunrays? Well, now there’s a safer way to make fun in the sun safer—stick to a Mediterranean diet.

Dr. Niva Shapira of Tel Aviv University''s School of Health Professions has shown that a diet rich in antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids, like the diet eaten in Mediterranean regions where melanoma rates are extremely low, can help protect us from skin cancer.

Washington, Aug 12 : With the help of a new imaging technology, scientists say it is possible to create a three-dimensional image of the most deadliest form of skin cancer.

Washington, Aug 11 : There is no evidence that the inclusion of retinyl palmitate (vitamin A) in sunscreens can cause cancer in humans, according to a new study.

"Earlier this year, the Environmental Working Group issued a health warning that sunscreens containing retinyl palmitate could pose a cancer risk," said dermatologist Henry W. Lim of Henry Ford Hospital.

London, Aug 2 : A new research has revealed that teenagers who use sunbeds almost double their chances of developing the deadliest form of skin cancer.

Those who recurrently use UV booths are nearly twice as likely to develop a life-threatening melanoma, reports the Daily Express.

And the earlier that sunbed usage begins, the greater the risk of developing a cancerous tumour before 40.

Washington, July 9 : Scientists at Queen''s University have demonstrated that the growth of melanoma, one of the most deadly forms of skin cancer, can be slowed when a little known gene called MicroRNA
193b is added.

Victor Tron, head of pathology and molecular medicine, focused on miR-193b when he discovered that it was deficient in melanoma tumors and because there were very few studies done about the gene.

London, July 9 : An international team of researchers has found that HPV infection heightens the risk of developing certain skin cancers and is worsened if people are taking immunosuppression drugs.

During the study, they found that people with several types of human papillomaviruses (HPVs) were more than one and a half times as likely to develop certain skin cancers compared to people with no HPVs.

According to a new study, the combination of two different chemotherapies and a previously approved treatment for kidney and liver cancers is not effective against advanced melanoma, a rare form of skin cancer.

Sydney, May 18 : People tend to overestimate the darkness of their natural, non-tanned skin.

The researchers identifying the pattern have called it "the dark shift" and believe it may have important implications for how well skin cancer risk messages are heeded.

The findings are based on a study involving nearly 300 University of Otago students.

Washington, Jan 18 - Most skin cancers are curable, but require surgery that can be painful and scarring, says a new study whose findings could open up ways to newer treatments that would shrink skin cancer tumours.

The drugs would work by turning on a gene that prevents skin cells from becoming cancerous, said senior study author Mitchell Denning, pathology professor at the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine (LUCSSM).

The study was done by researchers of the Loyola University Health System (LUHS).