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🗺️ Disease Atlas · Cancer or benign tumor

melanoma

A malignant, usually aggressive tumor composed of atypical, neoplastic melanocytes. Most often, melanomas arise in the skin (cutaneous melanomas) and include the following histologic subtypes: superficial spreading melanoma, nodular melanoma, acral lentiginous melanoma, and lentigo maligna melanoma. Cutaneous melanomas may arise from acquired or congenital melanocytic or dysplastic nevi. Melanomas may also arise in …

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🧬13667genes / proteins with evidence
💊589drugs and clinical candidates
🧪12+recruiting trials worldwide
✅22approved
📈66phase 3
🧬

Understand melanoma

Cancer · Cells that grow out of control
🎓 Learn more

What it is

Thinking of "ABCDE" can help you remember what to watch for:

Asymmetry - the shape of one half does not match the other

Border - the edges are ragged, blurred or irregular

From MedlinePlus: Melanoma (US National Library of Medicine) ↗

🧬 Cancer: Cancer is a group of diseases in which some of the body's cells grow and divide without control, and can spread to other parts of the body.

❓ Why it happens

  • Changes (mutations) build up in the genes that tell a cell when to grow, divide and die.
  • Most of these changes happen during life: tobacco, too much sun, alcohol, some infections (such as HPV and hepatitis B and C), radiation, obesity and ageing all raise the risk.
  • Some people inherit a faulty gene that raises their risk, such as BRCA1 or BRCA2.

🫀 What it does to the body

  • Cancer cells form a lump (tumour) that can press on or invade nearby organs.
  • They can travel through the blood or lymph to start new tumours elsewhere (metastasis).
  • Blood cancers crowd out healthy blood cells in the bone marrow.

🧱 Why it is hard to cure

  • Every cancer is different, even between two people with the same type - and inside one tumour.
  • Cancer cells keep changing, so they can learn to resist a medicine that worked at first.
  • Cancer cells are the body's own cells, so killing them without harming healthy cells is hard.
  • Many cancers cause no symptoms until they have spread, and a new medicine often takes more than ten years to go from the lab to patients.

🚀 What research is trying now

  • Targeted medicines against the exact gene change in a tumour (for example EGFR, ALK or KRAS).
  • Immunotherapy that helps the immune system recognise cancer, including CAR-T cell therapy.
  • Personalised cancer vaccines built from each tumour's mutations, now in late trials.
  • Blood tests that look for tumour DNA to find cancer earlier, and AI to read scans and slides.

General information about cancer, reviewed by people; it does not describe any one person. Below: the evidence for melanoma itself.

🤖

AI briefing

Where the science on melanoma stands, from the evidence on this page

AI reads the targets, drugs, trials and papers below and writes where the science stands — every claim cited. It is shared with everyone who opens melanoma.

🎯

Top targets

Genes and proteins ranked by Open Targets evidence (0-1)
CDKN2A cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor 2A🧊 AlphaFold structure ↗ 0.87
BRAF B-Raf proto-oncogene, serine/threonine kinasePROTACantibodysmall molecule🧊 AlphaFold structure ↗ 0.85
BAP1 BRCA1 associated deubiquitinase 1PROTAC🧊 AlphaFold structure ↗ 0.82
MAP2K1 mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1PROTACantibodysmall molecule🧊 AlphaFold structure ↗ 0.81
NRAS NRAS proto-oncogene, GTPasePROTACantibodysmall molecule🧊 AlphaFold structure ↗ 0.78
MAP2K2 mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 2PROTACantibodysmall molecule🧊 AlphaFold structure ↗ 0.77
PTEN phosphatase and tensin homologPROTACantibodysmall molecule🧊 AlphaFold structure ↗ 0.77
MITF melanocyte inducing transcription factorPROTACsmall molecule🧊 AlphaFold structure ↗ 0.76
NF1 neurofibromin 1PROTACantibodysmall molecule🧊 AlphaFold structure ↗ 0.74
CDK4 cyclin dependent kinase 4PROTACsmall molecule🧊 AlphaFold structure ↗ 0.74
TERT telomerase reverse transcriptasePROTACantibodyothersmall molecule🧊 AlphaFold structure ↗ 0.72
GNAQ G protein subunit alpha qPROTACantibodysmall molecule🧊 AlphaFold structure ↗ 0.72
ARID2 AT-rich interaction domain 2PROTACantibodysmall molecule🧊 AlphaFold structure ↗ 0.72
TP53 tumor protein p53PROTACothersmall molecule🧊 AlphaFold structure ↗ 0.72
KIT KIT proto-oncogene, receptor tyrosine kinasePROTACantibodysmall molecule🧊 AlphaFold structure ↗ 0.72

Green labels: what the target is known to be druggable by. The score combines genetics, somatic mutations, drugs, expression and literature.

💊

Drugs and candidates

Every medicine linked to melanoma, by how far it has got
Approved · 20
BinimetinibDual specificity mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1 inhibitor; Dual specificity mi…Approved
CobimetinibDual specificity mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1 inhibitor; Dual specificity mi…Approved
DabrafenibSerine/threonine-protein kinase B-raf inhibitorApproved
Dabrafenib MesylateSerine/threonine-protein kinase B-raf inhibitorApproved
DacarbazineApproved
EncorafenibSerine/threonine-protein kinase B-raf inhibitorApproved
Show all 20
HydroxyureaRibonucleoside-diphosphate reductase RR1 inhibitorApproved
Interferon Alfa-2BInterferon alpha/beta receptor agonistApproved
IpilimumabCytotoxic T-lymphocyte protein 4 inhibitorApproved
NivolumabProgrammed cell death protein 1 inhibitorApproved
Peginterferon Alfa-2BInterferon alpha/beta receptor agonistApproved
PembrolizumabProgrammed cell death protein 1 inhibitorApproved
RelatlimabLymphocyte activation gene 3 protein inhibitorApproved
Talimogene LaherparepvecApproved
TebentafuspMelanocyte protein PMEL binding agentApproved
Technetium Tc 99M Sulfur ColloidApproved
TilmanoceptApproved
ToripalimabProgrammed cell death protein 1 antagonistApproved
TrametinibDual specificity mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 2 inhibitor; Dual specificity mi…Approved
Trametinib Dimethyl SulfoxideDual specificity mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 2 inhibitor; Dual specificity mi…Approved
In phase 2 / 3 · 20
.Alpha.-PyrrolidinononanophenonePhase 3
AldesleukinInterleukin-2 receptor agonistPhase 3
AtezolizumabProgrammed cell death 1 ligand 1 inhibitorPhase 3
Belzupacap SarotalocanPhase 3
BempegaldesleukinPhase 3
BrenetafuspPhase 3
Show all 20
CamrelizumabProgrammed cell death protein 1 antagonistPhase 3
CarboplatinPhase 3
CemiplimabProgrammed cell death protein 1 inhibitorPhase 3
CisplatinPhase 3
Cobimetinib FumarateDual specificity mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1 inhibitor; Dual specificity mi…Phase 3
CytarabineDNA polymerase (alpha/delta/epsilon) inhibitorPhase 3
ElesclomolPhase 3
EpacadostatIndoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase inhibitorPhase 3
FavezelimabLymphocyte activation gene 3 protein inhibitorPhase 3
FianlimabLymphocyte activation gene 3 protein inhibitorPhase 3
FotemustinePhase 3
Gp-100 AntigenPhase 3
Histamine DihydrochloridePhase 3
Ingenol MebutatePhase 3
Early trials · 20
Adh-1Phase 1/2
AllantoinPhase 1/2
AlrizomadlinTumour suppressor p53/oncoprotein Mdm2 inhibitorPhase 1/2
Antilymphocyte Immunoglobulin (Horse)Phase 1/2
AvutometinibDual specificity mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1 inhibitor; Dual specificity mi…Phase 1/2
Bcg LivePhase 1/2
Show all 20
Bcg VaccinePhase 1/2
BemcentinibTyrosine-protein kinase receptor UFO inhibitorPhase 1/2
BexmarilimabPhase 1/2
Bintrafusp AlfaProgrammed cell death 1 ligand 1 binding agent; Transforming growth factor beta binding a…Phase 1/2
Bocodepsin BesylatePhase 1/2
CalcitriolVitamin D receptor agonistPhase 1/2
CapecitabineThymidylate synthase inhibitorPhase 1/2
CavrotolimodPhase 1/2
Cd24FcHeat shock protein HSP90 inhibitor; Heat shock 70 kDa protein 1A/1B inhibitorPhase 1/2
Cdx-1140Tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 5 agonistPhase 1/2
Cdx-3379Receptor tyrosine-protein kinase erbB-3 inhibitorPhase 1/2
CetrelimabProgrammed cell death protein 1 inhibitorPhase 1/2
ChlorotoxinPhase 1/2
DapansutrileNACHT, LRR and PYD domains-containing protein 3 inhibitorPhase 1/2
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