CLINICAL CARE

Karl Lewis, MD, says treating melanoma patients is a tough, but rewarding job. Melanoma is cancer of the skin cells that make pigment. If you find it early, surgery can cure it. But after it spreads, there is no standard treatment except cancer clinical trials. There is no cure for advanced melanoma.

“I am inspired by my patients, who are incredibly brave for going on clinical trials that can be very rough for them,” said Lewis, a melanoma specialist at the University of Colorado Cancer Center Cutaneous Oncology Clinic. “They are in a desperate situation, and sometimes we run out of options. They make me want to find something that, in years to come, can change that situation.”

No one understands why melanoma cells won’t die. There are smart researchers at UCCC who are working to figure out why, and clinicians who looking for better treatments through clinical trials.

“Our patients have access to the newest drugs and combinations of drugs,” Lewis said. “I believe that may be one reason more of our advanced melanoma patients are alive years after their diagnosis than those treated at other places in Colorado and the region. Clinical trials give them more time.”

About one in 55 Americans will be diagnosed with melanoma in their lifetimes, according to the American Cancer Society.

“We can cure 100 percent of small melanomas—the ones found on the top layer of skin—but once it spreads, only 5 percent of people are alive five years later,” Lewis said. “I get frustrated that a lot of people don’t think melanoma is a big deal, even in Colorado—a state with very high melanoma incidence.”

Your risk for melanoma increases with the intensity of sunlight and the amount of sun exposure you get over a lifetime, according to the National Cancer Institute. Sunburn, especially a bad childhood burn, may also significantly increase your risk for melanoma.

“Since kids spend more time in the sun than adults do, we especially need to protect them,” Lewis said. “But people of all ages should protect their skin every day.”

Early detection may be even more important than prevention in melanoma, he advised. Check your skin frequently for moles that don’t look right, and check your kids’ skin because they can get melanoma, too. See your doctor if you notice any of the ABCDEs listed on this page. “I feel like I have success every day and feel gratified every time I come to work,” Lewis said. “Even though we don’t have a therapy to make a meaningful impact on this disease right now, I can have a meaningful impact on an individual patient … even if I can’t save her life.”

To see pictures of normal and abnormal moles, visit the Skin Cancer Foundation.

About the UCCC Cutaneous Oncology Clinic

The University of Colorado Cancer Center Cutaneous Oncology Clinic is one of the biggest melanoma programs in the United States. We evaluate and treat more than 400 new patients each year, which gives us extensive expertise in all melanoma stages ranging from very early to advanced. We also have the highest survival rates for melanoma in the region.

And as the Rocky Mountain region’s only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, UCCC is a national leader in melanoma research.Our investigators are conducting melanoma-related research in the lab, through clinical trials and through cancer prevention and control studies in the community.

Appointments and clinical trials information: 720-848-0590, www.uch.edu/melanoma.