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Summary: Drug Development For Melanoma

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Drug Development for Melanoma

As the director of the drug development unit in a biotech company we are always looking for new drugs to treat a variety of different cancers. There are many things that have to be considered when trying to get a drug to go from being an idea in a laboratory to something that can be used by cancer patients everywhere. The process of getting a drug development can be very lengthy. It could take many years and a lot of money before it could get approved to be used by doctors. In order for a drug to be developed it has to go through many testing periods. In order for a new drug to be taken by people, there must be an application submitted to the Investigational New Drug (IND) to the Food and Drug Administration. …show more content…
It occurs mainly in adult women, however men and children still develop melanoma. According to the Mayo Clinic melanoma develops in the cells that produce melanin the pigment that gives your skin its color. Melanoma is mainly caused from UV radiation produced from sunlight, and tanning beds increase the risk of melanoma. People can help reduce their risk of melanoma by applying sunscreen whenever they are going to be exposed to high amounts of UV radiation and by avoiding going to the tanning salons. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation the annual cost of treating skin cancer is estimated at $8.1 billion and $3.3 billion just for melanoma. Approximately 10,000 Americans die every year from melanoma. Melanoma can be detected early if people do self examinations. During a self-exam people should note any new or preexisting moles and look to see if they have any growth since the last time they were checked or if they have had a change in color. If melanoma is caught at an early stage it can easily be treated, but if it is caught late a patient may have to go through more stressful treatment therapies to remove the …show more content…
The list side effects for each type of therapy can vary greatly depending on the type of therapy the patient may choose and how severe the treatments they are undergoing are. Also the side effects could depend on what each drug targets. There are some drug therapies that can cause more side effects than other, because they could attack more than one target. Before patients start there designated drug therapy they worry about whether they will have severe side effects to the drug or not and if they do what they might be like. In the article "Side Effects of Targeted Cancer Therapy Drugs," they go into great detail about some of the possible side effects that could occur while undergoing treatment. Some of the more serious things they have listed in their article are skin problems, problems bleeding, problems with wound healing, high blood pressure, heart damage, and autoimmune reactions. They also have included the usual side effects a person might experience when undergoing chemotherapy, like nausea and vomiting, trouble breathing, coughing, headache, fatigued, and allergic reactions. Skin problems can occur when a patient undergoes radiotherapy for example and the skin becomes red and itchy. Some of the treatments can affect the blood vessels and that is what gives rise to the high blood pressure, problems with bleeding, and problems with wound healing. Drugs taken during immunotherapy

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