Bay Biosciences provides melanoma FFPE Blocks and matched serum (sera), plasma samples with detailed clinical annotations to a pharmaceutical customer for bio-analytics research.

Melanoma Overview

Melanoma is a type of skin cancer that develops when pigment-producing cells called melanocytes mutate and begin to divide uncontrollably.

According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), although it occurs much less commonly than other types of skin cancer, it poses a greater danger; specifically, it spreads more readily to other parts of the body.

Additionally, melanoma can appear anywhere on the body. In those with light skin, it tends to appear on:

  • First, the chest and back in males,
  • Second, the legs in females,
  • In addition, the neck,
  • Fianlly, the face.

However, melanoma can also occur in the eyes, nose, mouth, throat, or genital and anal area. Moreover, the ACS estimates that about 100,640 new cases of melanoma will arise in 2024. Furthermore, they also estimate that around 8,290 people will die from melanoma in 2024.

Types of Melanoma

There are four main types of melanoma, which include:

  • Superficial spreading melanoma: This type of melanoma is the most common; furthermore, it develops on the top layer of the skin. A person may notice a flat or slightly raised asymmetrical patch with uneven borders. Additionally, the patch can be shades of brown, black, tan, red, pink, blue, or white. Moreover, it may also match the color of the surrounding skin.
  • Nodular melanoma: Moreover, this type of melanoma is the second most common and, in contrast, appears on the trunk, head, or neck. It tends to grow quicker than other types; consequently, it may appear as a reddish or blue-black color.
  • Lentigo maligna melanoma: Furthermore, this type occurs less commonly and tends to develop in older adults, especially in parts of the body that have experienced excessive sun exposure over several years, such as the scalp, face, neck, ear, upper arms, and upper torso. In this case, a person may notice a flat or slightly raised blotchy patch with uneven borders. It can be blue to black or vary in shades of brown.
  • Acral lentiginous melanoma: Acral lentiginous melanoma represents the rarest kind of melanoma. Specifically, it appears on the palms of the hands, soles of the feet, or under the nails. Moreover, the more advanced a cancer is, the harder it is to treat and the worse the outlook becomes.

Stages of Melanoma

The stage of cancer at diagnosis indicates how far it has already spread and what kind of treatment is suitable. Specifically, one method of assigning a stage to melanoma describes the cancer in five stages, from 0 to 4:

  • Firstly, Stage 0: The cancer is only present in the outermost layer of skin. Doctors refer to this stage as “melanoma in situ
  • Next Stage 1: The cancer is up to 2 millimeters (mm) thick. It has not yet spread to lymph nodes or other sites, and it may or may not be ulcerated. 
  • Then Stage 2: The tumor measures at least 1 mm in thickness but may exceed 4 mm. It may or may not show ulceration, and the cancer has not yet spread to lymph nodes or other sites.
  • Following that Stage 3: The cancer has spread to one or more lymph nodes or nearby lymphatic channels but not to distant sites. In this case, the original tumor may no longer be visible. However, if it is visible, it can vary in thickness and may also be ulcerated. Additionally, it may also include satellite tumors that develop near the primary tumor.
  • Finally, Stage 4: Distant lymph nodes or organs, such as the brain, lungs, or liver, have received the spread of cancer. Furthermore, the tumor may or may not ulcerate. Consequently, the more advanced a cancer becomes, the harder it becomes to treat; therefore, the worse the outlook gets.

Symptoms of Melanoma

In its early stages, doctors find melanoma challenging to detect. Therefore, it is essential to check the skin for any signs of change.

Moreover, changes in the appearance of the skin serve as vital indicators of melanoma. Consequently, doctors use these changes in the diagnostic process.

In addition, a person can look out for the following signs:

  • For instance, any skin changes, such as a new spot or mole or a change in the color, shape, or size of an existing spot or mole
  • Furthermore, a skin sore that fails to heal
  • Additionally, a spot or sore that becomes painful, itchy, or tender
  • Moreover, a spot or sore that starts to bleed
  • Furthermore, a spot or lump that looks shiny, waxy, smooth, or pale
  • In addition, a firm lump that bleeds or looks ulcerated or crusty
  • Lastly, a flat, inflamed spot that is rough, dry, or scaly

Finally, the ACST offers pictures of different skin cancers to help a person learn how to distinguish between normal and cancerous moles.

Diagnosis of Melanoma

A person can detect the early signs of melanoma by regularly examining their existing moles and other colored blemishes and freckles. Furthermore, people should check their backs regularly, as it may be harder for them to see moles in this area.

In addition, a partner, family member, friend, or doctor can help them check their back and other areas that are hard to see without assistance.

Moreover, any changes in the skin’s appearance require a doctor to examine them further.

Additionally, some apps claim to help a person identify and track changing moles. However, many are not reliable.

Biopsy Procedure

Doctors and dermatologists may use microscopic or photographic tools to examine a lesion in more detail. Furthermore, if they suspect skin cancer, they will perform a biopsy on the lesion to determine whether or not it is cancerous.

Specifically, a medical professional takes a sample of a lesion during a biopsy and sends it for examination in the laboratory.

Treatment of Melanoma

The treatment of skin cancer is similar to that of other cancers. However, unlike many cancers inside the body, it is easier to access the cancerous tissue and remove it completely. For this reason, surgery is the main treatment option for melanoma.

Surgery involves removing the lesion and some of the non-cancerous tissue around it. When the surgeon removes the lesion, they send it to pathology to determine the extent of the involvement of the cancer, and to make sure that they have removed all of it.

If melanoma covers a large area of skin, a skin graft may be necessary.

If there is a risk that the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes, a doctor may request a lymph node biopsy.

They may also recommend radiation therapy for treating melanoma.

Melanoma may metastasize, or spread, to other organs. If this happens, a doctor will request treatments depending on where the melanoma has spread, including:

  • Chemotherapy, in which a doctor uses medications that target the cancer cells
  • immunotherapy, in which a doctor administers drugs that work with the immune system to help fight the cancer
  • targeted therapy, which uses medications that identify and target particular genes or proteins specific to melanoma

Biospecimens

Bay Biosciences is, indeed a global leader in providing researchers with high quality, clinical grade, fully characterized human tissue samples, bio-specimens, and human bio-fluid collections.

Specifically, aamples available include cancer (tumor) tissue, cancer serum, cancer plasma, cancer, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). and human tissue samples from most other therapeutic areas and diseases.

Moreover, Bay Biosciences maintains and manages its own biorepository, the human tissue bank (biobank) consisting of thousands of diseased samples (specimens) and from normal healthy donors available in all formats and types.

In fact, our biobank procures and stores fully consented, de-identified and institutional review boards (IRB) approved human tissue samples and matched controls.

Additionally, all our human tissue collections, human specimens and human bio-fluids are provided with detailed, samples associated patient’s clinical data.

In particular, critical patient’s clinical data includes information relating to their past and current disease, treatment history, lifestyle choices, biomarkers, and genetic information.

Moreover, patient’s data is extremely valuable for researchers and is used to help identify new effective treatments (drug discovery & development) in oncology, and other therapeutic areas and diseases.

Specifically, Bay Biosciences banks wide variety of human tissue samples and biological samples, including cryogenically preserved at – 80°C.

For example fresh frozen tissue samples, tumor tissue samples, formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE), tissue slides, with matching human bio-fluids, whole blood and blood-derived products such as serum, plasma and PBMC.

Furthermore, Bay Biosciences is a global leader in collecting and providing human tissue samples according to the specified requirements and customized, tailor-made collection protocols.

Therefore, please contact us anytime to discuss your special research projects and customized human tissue sample requirements.

Types of Biospecimens

Bay Biosciences provides human tissue samples (human specimens) from diseased and normal healthy donors which includes:

Customized Collections

Moreover, we can also procure most human bio-specimens, furthermore; we offer special collections and requests for human samples that are difficult to find. All our human tissue samples are procured through IRB-approved clinical protocols and procedures.

In addition to the standard processing protocols, Bay Biosciences can also provide human plasma, serum, and PBMC bio-fluid samples using custom processing protocols. Additionally you buy donor-specific collections in higher volumes and specified sample aliquots from us.

Furthermore, Bay Biosciences also provides human samples from normal healthy donors; volunteers, for controls and clinical research, contact us Now.

 

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