OUTLOOK

MELANOMA
20 November 2014 / Vol 515 / Issue No 7527

M
elanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer and
strikes tens of thousands of people around the CONTENTS
world each year. The number of cases is rising faster
than any other type of solid cancer (see page S110).
S110 AETIOLOGY
It is usually caused by too much exposure to the Sun’s The cancer that rises with the sun
ultraviolet radiation. But the link between sunshine and The growth and spread of melanoma
melanoma is not as straightforward as it seems. The pattern
S112 RISK FACTORS
of exposure can be just as important as the total amount of Riddle of the rays
Cover art: Susan Burghart ultraviolet radiation that reaches the skin (S112). There is more to melanoma risk than
Because the cause of melanoma is so well known, it seems time spent in the sun
Editorial strange that the incidence keeps rising. But although we have S114 PREVENTION
Herb Brody, the tools to prevent the disease, we do not always use them Lessons from a sunburnt country
Michelle Grayson, (S117 and S126), and not enough people take action to reduce
Brian Owens, Stay safe the Australian way
Kathryn Miller, their risk. Australia, which has the highest rate of melanoma, S117 PERSPECTIVE
Nick Haines has been slowly getting the disease under control and may Catch melanoma early
Art & Design have some lessons to teach the rest of the world (S114). Susan M Swetter and Alan C Geller call
Wesley Fernandes, For those hoping to skip the demands of a sun-safe routine for routine skin checks
Mohamed Ashour,
Kate Duncan, and simply take a sunscreen pill instead, the news is not so S118 DRUG DEVELOPMENT
Denis Mallet good. There is little evidence that any drug will be able to offer A chance of survival
Production full sun protection (S124). The search for targeted treatments
Karl Smart, For those who do develop melanoma, however, the chances pays off
Ian Pope,
Robert Sullivan
of recovery are rising. Targeted treatments and therapies that S121 SKIN COLOUR
Sponsorship
use the body’s own immune system have been developed in No hiding in the dark
Janice Stevenson, the past few years (S118). Why do black people get melanoma?
Samantha Morley Although melanoma is primarily an affliction of the fair- S124 PROTECTION
Marketing skinned, it can also strike those with a darker complexion. The sunscreen pill
Hannah Phipps The disease in black populations seems to have a different Tablets will not keep you safe in the sun
Project Manager biology to that in lighter-skinned people, and is also
Anastasia Panoutsou S126 PERSPECTIVE
particularly deadly (S121). Protect the USA from UVA
Art Director
Kelly Buckheit Krause We are pleased to acknowledge that this Outlook was Michael J Werner says it is time the FDA
Publisher produced with support of a grant from Bristol-Myers Squibb. started approving stronger sunscreens
Richard Hughes As always, Nature retains sole responsibility for all editorial
Chief Magazine Editor content. COLLECTION
Rosie Mestel S127 Smart therapeutic strategies in
immuno-oncology
Editor-in-Chief Brian Owens
Philip Campbell
A M M Eggermont & C Robert
Contributing Editor
S129 Melanoma metastasis: new concepts
and evolving paradigms
Nature Outlooks are sponsored supplements that aim to stimulate All featured articles will be freely available for 6 months. W E Damsky et al.
interest and debate around a subject of interest to the sponsor,
while satisfying the editorial values of Nature and our readers’
SUBSCRIPTIONS AND CUSTOMER SERVICES
For UK/Europe (excluding Japan): Nature Publishing Group,
S139 Stat3-targeted therapies overcome
expectations. The boundaries of sponsor involvement are clearly Subscriptions, Brunel Road, Basingstoke, Hants, RG21 6XS, UK. the acquired resistance to
delineated in the Nature Outlook Editorial guidelines available at
go.nature.com/e4dwzw
Tel: +44 (0) 1256 329242. Subscriptions and customer services for vemurafenib in melanomas
Americas – including Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean:
CITING THE OUTLOOK Nature Publishing Group, 75 Varick St, 9th floor, New York, NY F Liu et al.
Cite as a supplement to Nature, for example, Nature Vol. XXX, 10013-1917, USA. Tel: +1 866 363 7860 (US/Canada) or +1 212 726
No. XXXX Suppl., Sxx–Sxx (2014). 9223 (outside US/Canada). Japan/China/Korea: Nature Publishing S148 Melanoma exosomes educate bone
VISIT THE OUTLOOK ONLINE Group — Asia-Pacific, Chiyoda Building 5-6th Floor, 2-37 Ichigaya marrow progenitor cells toward a pro-
Tamachi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 162-0843, Japan. Tel: +81 3 3267 8751.
The Nature Outlook Melanoma supplement can be found at metastatic phenotype through MET
http://www.nature.com/nature/outlook/melanoma CUSTOMER SERVICES
It features all newly commissioned content as well as a selection of Feedback@nature.com
H Peinado et al.
relevant previously published material. Copyright © 2014 Nature Publishing Group

2 0 NOV E M B E R 2 0 1 4 | VO L 5 1 5 | NAT U R E | S 1 0 9
© 2014 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved