Dr. Sancy Leachman on Helping Patients Identify Melanoma Recurrences

Sancy Leachman, MD,PhD, Professor and Chair, Department of Dermatology Director, Melanoma Research Program, Knight Cancer Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, discusses a new tool that oncologists can use with patients to identify melanoma recurrences.

Patients who have had one incidence of melanoma are approximately eight times more likely to have another incidence of melanoma, says Leachman. In addition, the increase in effective treatments for the disease also means that more patients are surviving longer, and continuing to be at risk for recurrence longer.

Medical oncologists will need to follow melanoma patients for the rest of their lives, and early detection of a recurrence of melanoma is key to improving survival outcomes, says Leachman.

Oregon Health & Science University has developed an app, known as Mole Mapper, which allows patients to tracks moles and how they change and grow over time. Patients can then share this information with their oncologists or dermatologist to determine if treatment is needed, says Leachman. The app will also gather photos and information about melanomas from patients who use it, providing a database for future research purposes.

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