Melanoma/Skin Cancer Unit

The Melanoma/Skin Cancer Unit is a tertiary referral center for patients with management of all types of skin cancer and particularly malignant melanoma. Each of the doctors has a particular set of expertise relating to either the medical or surgical management of these types of cancer and experts in this field. The unit has active research projects into the biology and treatment of skin cancer and has  published extensively on all aspects of this condition. The unit will actively enter patients into clinical trials of  new treatments malignant melanoma.

The unit has a particular focus on the management of patients with advanced melanoma although patients with all stages of melanoma and other skin cancers are also treated.  There are strong academic  links to the Institute of Cancer Research and the unit is actively involved in research into the biology of melanoma and the development of new therapeutic strategies.  There is a strong emphasis into clinical research of new treatments for melanoma, and to that end, many patients treated in the unit are offered involvement into national and international clinical trials.

The unit has a particular expertise in the management of in-transit metastases from malignant melanoma and is currently one of only two centres in the united kingdom that offers the technique of Isolated Limb Perfusion with Melphalan and Tumour Necrosis Factor α. This is a extremely valuable but technique for the management of advanced malignancy on the arm or the leg and has particular value in malignant melanoma although other tumour types including sarcoma can on occasions be treated by this technique. The unit also offers the  technique of laser vaporisation of in-transit metastases  that is of value for less advanced disease and similarly is available in relatively few centres in the United Kingdom.

Staff

Head of unit
Mr J Meirion Thomas, Surgeon

Consultants
Dr J Larkin, Consultant Medical Oncologist
Professor M Gore, Consultant Medical Oncologist
Mr A Hayes, Surgeon
Dr K Harrington, Consultant Clinical Oncologist