Melanoma Prevention & Early Detection Efforts
MOON SHOTS PROGRAM
Melanoma Prevention and Early Detection is a collaborative effort between the Melanoma Moon Shot® and the Cancer Prevention and Control Platform to reduce melanoma incidence and mortality through public policy, education, screening and early detection.
MD Anderson is involved in the following melanoma prevention and early detection activities:
Public Policy
Educating decision makers who impact health policies around the country in order to reduce the incidence of melanoma
Education & Community Engagement
Providing evidence-based educational resources to the public, educators, and other key stakeholders to promote sun safety behaviors, and reduce lifetime risk of developing skin cancer
Clinician training
Educating and empowering clinical providers in dermatology and family medicine to support Early Melanoma Diagnosis
Evidence-based research
Conducting research and sharing results from our evidence-based programs
Skin Cancer Screening
Promoting services and resources for melanoma prevention and screening
Our work by the numbers
200K+
children have participated in the Sunbeatables® program
50K+
classrooms have received the Be Sunbeatable™ curriculum
266K+
patients have had care impacted by our Early Melanoma Detection program
Ray and the Sunbeatables®
The MD Anderson-developed Ray and the Sunbeatables is a sun safety program for preschoolers, kindergartens and first-grade students.
Publications
Evidence-based Research Publications
Click the categories below to see publications.
Early Melanoma detection, staging and prognosis
Najmi M, Brown AE, Harrington SR, Farris D, Sepulveda S, Nelson KC. A systematic review and synthesis of qualitative and quantitative studies evaluating provider, patient, and health care system-related barriers to diagnostic skin cancer examinations. Arch Dermatol Res. 2021 Apr 28. doi: 10.1007/s00403-021-02224-z. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33913002
Evaluation of the Number-Needed-to-Biopsy Metric for the Diagnosis of Cutaneous Melanoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Nelson KC, Swetter SM, Saboda K, Chen SC, Curiel-Lewandrowski C. JAMA Dermatol. 2019 Jul 10;155(10):1167-74. doi: 10.1001/jamadermatol.2019.1514. Online ahead of print. PMID: 31290958.
Melanoma staging: Evidence-based changes in the American Joint Committee on Cancer eighth edition cancer staging manual. Gershenwald JE, Scolyer RA, Hess KR, Sondak VK, Long GV, Ross MI, Lazar AJ, Faries MB, Kirkwood JM, McArthur GA, Haydu LE, Eggermont AMM, Flaherty KT, Balch CM, Thompson JF; for members of the American Joint Committee on Cancer Melanoma Expert Panel and the International Melanoma Database and Discovery Platform. CA Cancer J Clin. 2017 Nov;67(6):472-492. doi: 10.3322/caac.21409. Epub 2017 Oct 13. PMID: 29028110. Free PMC article.
The Eighth Edition AJCC Cancer Staging Manual: Continuing to build a bridge from a population-based to a more "personalized" approach to cancer staging. Amin MB, Greene FL, Edge SB, Compton CC, Gershenwald JE, Brookland RK, Meyer L, Gress DM, Byrd DR, Winchester DP. CA Cancer J Clin. 2017 Mar;67(2):93-99. doi: 10.3322/caac.21388. Epub 2017 Jan 17. PMID: 28094848.
Melanoma Staging: American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) 8th Edition and Beyond. Gershenwald JE, Scolyer RA. Early detection, Staging and prognosis
Ann Surg Oncol. 2018 Aug;25(8):2105-2110. doi: 10.1245/s10434-018-6513-7. Epub 2018 May 30. PMID: 29850954. No abstract available.
Embracing changes to the American Joint Committee on Cancer 8th edition melanoma staging system. Haydu LE, Thompson JF, Scolyer RA, Gershenwald JE.
Eur J Cancer. 2019 May;112:9-11. doi: 10.1016/j.ejca.2019.01.103. Epub 2019 Mar 15. PMID: 30884440. No abstract available.
Critical Assessment of Clinical Prognostic Tools in Melanoma. Mahar AL, Compton C, Halabi S, Hess KR, Gershenwald JE, Scolyer RA, Groome PA. Ann Surg Oncol. 2016 Sep;23(9):2753-61. doi: 10.1245/s10434-016-5212-5. Epub 2016 Apr 6. PMID: 27052645 Review.
Telementoring and smartphone-based answering systems to optimize dermatology resident dermoscopy education. Nelson KC, Gershenwald JE, Savory SA, Wilson JM, Simon JM, Burton EM, Haydu LE. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2019 Aug;81(2):e27-e28. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2019.01.045. Epub 2019 Jan 29. PMID: 30703459. No abstract available.
Improving outcomes in patients with melanoma: strategies to ensure an early diagnosis. Voss RK, Woods TN, Cromwell KD, Nelson KC, Cormier JN. Patient Relat Outcome Meas. 2015 Nov 6;6:229-42. doi: 10.2147/PROM.S69351. eCollection 2015. PMID: 26609248. Free PMC article. Review.
Reduction in nevus biopsies in patients monitored by total body photography. Truong A, Strazzulla L, March J, Boucher KM, Nelson KC, Kim CC, Grossman D. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2016 Jul;75(1):135-143.e5. doi: 10.1016/j.jaad.2016.02.1152. Epub 2016 Mar 3. PMID: 26947450.
Clinicopathological Features, Staging, and Current Approaches to Treatment in High-Risk Resectable Melanoma. Keung, Emily Z; Gershenwald, Jeffrey E. Journal of the National Cancer Institute. 2020 Feb 15. JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute, djaa012, https://doi.org/10.1093/jnci/djaa012.
Editorial/Commentary
Observation of Moderately Dysplastic Nevi With Positive Margins: Are We There Yet? Editorial. Adamson AS, Nelson KC. JAMA Dermatol. 2018 Dec 1;154(12):1387-1388. doi: 10.1001/jamadermatol.2018.3303. PMID: 30304351. No abstract available.
Addressing the knowledge gap in clinical recommendations for management and complete excision of clinically atypical nevi/dysplastic nevi: Pigmented Lesion Subcommittee consensus statement. Kim CC, Swetter SM, Curiel-Lewandrowski C, Grichnik JM, Grossman D, Halpern AC, Kirkwood JM, Leachman SA, Marghoob AA, Ming ME, Nelson KC, Veledar E, Venna SS, Chen SC. JAMA Dermatol. 2015 Feb;151(2):212-8. doi: 10.1001/jamadermatol.2014.2694. PMID: 25409291 Review.
Skin Cancer: Have melanoma and skin cancer finally met their match? Gershenwald JE, Nelson KC. Nat Rev Clin Oncol. 2017 May;14(5):267-268. doi: 10.1038/nrclinonc.2017.55. Epub 2017 Apr 19. PMID: 28422116. No abstract available.
Public Policy
Lifestyle Modifications and Policy Implications for Primary and Secondary Cancer Prevention: Diet, Exercise, Sun Safety, and Alcohol Reduction. LoConte NK, Gershenwald JE, Thomson CA, Crane TE, Harmon GE, Rechis R. Am Soc Clin Oncol Educ Book. 2018 May 23;38:88-100. doi: 10.1200/EDBK_200093. PMID: 30231343. Review.
Stemming the Rising Incidence of Melanoma: Calling Prevention to Action. Gershenwald JE, Guy GP Jr. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2015 Nov 12;108(1):djv381. doi: 10.1093/jnci/djv381. Print 2016 Jan. PMID: 26563358 Free PMC article. No abstract available.
Melanoma Prevention-Avoiding Indoor Tanning and Minimizing Overexposure to the Sun. Gershenwald JE, Halpern AC, Sondak VK. JAMA. 2016 Nov 8;316(18):1913-1914. doi: 10.1001/jama.2016.16430. PMID: 27824997. No abstract available.
Teens and indoor tanning: time to act on the US Food and Drug Administration's black-box warning. Gottlieb M, Balk SJ, Geller AC, Gershenwald JE. Ann Surg Oncol. 2015 Mar;22(3):701-3. doi: 10.1245/s10434-014-4257-6. Epub 2014 Dec 17. PMID: 25515195. No abstract available.
Assessment of Compliance With Texas Legislation Banning Indoor UV Tanning by Minors. Tripp MK, Gershenwald JE, Davies MA, Garcia J, Gritz ER, Hawk ET, Peterson SK. JAMA Dermatol. 2017 Feb 1;153(2):228-229. doi: 10.1001/jamadermatol.2016.4068. PMID: 27829081 Free PMC article. No abstract available.
Melanoma prevention
Rechis, R., Oestman, K.B., Caballero, E. et al. Be Well Communities™: mobilizing communities to promote wellness and stop cancer before it starts. Cancer Causes Control 32, 859–870 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-021-01439-9
State of the science on prevention and screening to reduce melanoma incidence and mortality: The time is now. Tripp MK, Watson M, Balk SJ, Swetter SM, Gershenwald JE. CA Cancer J Clin. 2016 Nov 12;66(6):460-480. doi: 10.3322/caac.21352. Epub 2016 May 27. PMID: 27232110 Free PMC article. Review.