Single-Cell Insights on Inaccessible Tumor Environments Expand Therapeutic Options
Patient with melanoma leptomeningeal metastasis [Keiran Smalley/The Moffitt Cancer Center]
June 3, 2021
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While melanoma, a form of skin cancer that begins in the pigmented cells of the skin (melanocytes), is less common than other types of skin cancer, its seriousness lies in its ability to spread to other organs if not treated at an early stage. In nearly 75% patients, autopsy reveals the metastasis of melanoma to the central nervous system (CNS).
Of these, patients with the worst prognosis and rapid disease progression are those in whom melanoma spreads to the leptomeninges, the two innermost layers of the meninges that cover and protect the brain (leptomeningeal melanoma metastases, LMM).