Melanoma / Skin Cancer Unit

The Royal Marsden’s Melanoma / Skin Cancer Unit provides a high-quality and accessible cancer service, predominantly for the people of South London although referrals are also received from across England. Its advanced melanoma practice has a national and international reputation, due in part to it being the only national provider of isolated limb perfusion treatment.

The Unit’s multi-disciplinary team of doctors are experts in their fields: the medical, surgical or clinical management of skin cancer and melanoma.

Treatment

The Unit has a particular focus on patients with advanced melanoma, although patients with all stages of melanoma and other skin cancers are also treated.

One particular area of expertise is the management of in-transit metastases from malignant melanoma using the technique of isolated limb perfusion with melphalan and tumour necrosis factor α. This is an extremely successful but technical procedure for the management of advanced malignancy on the arm or leg. It is particularly valuable in treating malignant melanoma but it can on occasion be used for other tumour types including sarcoma.

The Unit also offers the technique of laser vaporisation of in-transit metastases, a procedure that is of value for less advanced melanoma and which is available in only a few centres in the UK.

Research

The Unit has strong academic links with The Institute of Cancer Research, and is actively involved in research into the biology and treatment of melanoma and skin cancer. It has published extensively on all aspects of these conditions.

An emphasis on clinical research means that many of the Unit's patients are offered the chance to take part in national and international clinical trials of new treatments for malignant melanoma.

Staff

Head of unit
Mr Andrew Hayes, Consultant Surgical Oncologist

Consultants
Professor M Gore, Consultant Medical Oncologist
Dr K Harrington, Consultant Clinical Oncologist
Dr J Larkin, Consultant Medical Oncologist
Professor Peter Mortimer, Consultant Dermatologist
Professor Meirion Thomas, Consultant Surgical Oncologist