Around the Web

Here's what I found on the internet this week. All of these advances, and we're still losing too many people to cancer. Please hurry, science.

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Harnessing the Immune System to Stop Melanoma

Yesterday, Merck received fast-track approval for a drug that boosts immune cells to fight melanoma.

"Merck is also studying pembrolizumab against a type of lung cancer, advanced head and neck cancer and late-stage bladder cancer."

Related: An Association Between Melanoma and Breast Cancer Risks

This was on the local news Monday night. It's just one more reason for me to be even more paranoid about every little dot on my skin, especially after my dad's bout with melanoma two years ago. Time to make that annual appointment with my dermatologist.

More Research into How Cancer Metastasizes, And (Maybe) How to Stop It

Unfortunately, drug inhibitors likely won't be available for five to ten years. Seriously, please hurry up, science.

How Much is a Year of Life Worth?

A follow-up from last week's article about the shake-up in what drugs the UK's health system will continue to cover (or not).

Liquid Biopsies -- Coming Soon to a Doctor Near You?

“'By repeating these blood tests regularly, they may give us a very accurate understanding of whether someone is responding to their treatment or not — which is very important for a woman to understand.

'She doesn’t want to be on a treatment that’s not working, or be exposed unnecessarily to side-effects, when she could be switched to a therapy that could be more effective,' Dr Dawson said."

Men Get Breast Cancer, Too -- But Could These Cases Have Been Prevented?

A look into whether the drinking water (or other contamination) at a U.S. Marine Base is causing cancer, and this man's untimely death.