Melanoma and Skin Cancer

With summer approaching, commit to daily sun protection and share this with a friend who needs the reminder! #SunSafety #SkinCancer #Prevention #MDAnderson #MDAndersonCancerCenter #EndCancer

Stage IV melanoma survivor Mark Zindler says virtual visits with his MD Anderson care team are like having a house call, where he can visit with his doctor from the convenience of his living room. Learn more about Mark's immunotherapy treatment: Request an appointment at MD Anderson by calling 1-877-632-6789 or online:

Nick Prochak was diagnosed with stage III melanoma in August 2017 after a routine skin exam. After seeing a local surgeon in Atlanta, he learned that the cancer had spread to a lymph node, increasing the likelihood that the melanoma would return. Nick learned about MD Anderson after volunteering at a PGA TOUR event, and ultimately decided to seek immunotherapy treatment in Houston. After successful treatment, Nick is now cancer-free and taking steps to live a healthier lifestyle, including using more sunscreen. Learn more about Nick's story: Request an appointment at MD Anderson by calling 1-877-632-6789 or by completing our online self-referral:

Steve Hamilton was diagnosed with melanoma in 2006 after discovering a small bump on the top of his head behind his hairline. After his surgical oncologist removed it along with some adjacent lymph nodes on both sides of his neck, he enjoyed three years of being cancer-free. Three years later, a chest X-ray showed shadowing and spots on Steve’s lungs. The melanoma had spread. He had three separate lung surgeries over an 18-month period to remove new growths, but the cancer kept returning. After seeking out the best treatment options, Steve participated in an immunotherapy trial at MD Anderson which saved his life. He is now five years cancer free, and considers himself an advocate for sun safety. Read more about Steve's cancer story: and Request an appointment at MD Anderson:

Karlee Steele had beaten melanoma twice, once in 2011 and again in 2013, so she was shocked when a year-and-a-half later, she found a swollen node under her arm. After a needle biopsy, she was told the cancer wasn’t outside her skin, but inside, in the nodes under her right arm. It was stage III melanoma. It originated from her second melanoma in 2013. It was so aggressive that it traveled into her lymph nodes where it stayed silent for almost two years. Karlee decided to have surgery at MD Anderson. Following surgery, she enrolled in an immunotherapy vaccine clinical trial. Over time, the immunotherapy worked, gradually shrinking and ultimately eliminating the melanoma. Today, Karlee is cancer-free, no longer in treatment and grateful to have her life back. She credits MD Anderson's Melanoma Moon Shot Program as the driving force to choosing MD Anderson. Read more about Karlee Request an appointment at MD Anderson by calling 1-877-632-6789 or online at:

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center has developed Ray and the Sunbeatables™: A Sun Safety Curriculum for Preschoolers, Kindergarten and First Grade students. The evidence-based curriculum aims to educate parents, teachers, and children about sun protection and promote sun safety behaviors in an effort to reduce children’s lifetime risk of developing skin cancer. Learn more about The Sunbeatables™ Program

Combination immunotherapy shrank melanoma that has spread to the brain in more than half of the patients in a clinical trial reported in the New England Journal of Medicine led by MD Anderson's Hussein Tawbi, M.D., Ph.D.. Of 94 patients in the study combining checkpoint inhibitors ipilimumab and nivolumab, at a minimum follow-up of nine months and a median of 14 months, 26% had a complete response, 30% had a partial response and 2% had stable disease. “As treatment for stage Iv melanoma has improved greatly in recent years, our patients with metastases to the brain have remained the group most in need, they’ve had the worst prognosis, so we are very excited about these results,” said Tawbi, the national study’s principal investigator and lead author. Learn more about this study: Request an appointment at MD Anderson by calling 1-877-632-6789 or by completing our online self-referral form:

A survivor of stage IV melanoma, Randy Jones is an avid supporter of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and a member of the Advance Team advisory board. In July 2020, Jones shared reflections on his almost 10-year cancer journey during MD Anderson’s inaugural Virtual Making Cancer History® Seminar. The online program, moderated by Karen Lu, M.D., chair of Gynecologic Oncology and Reproductive Medicine, featured presentations by Peter WT Pisters, M.D., president of MD Anderson; Nobel Laureate Jim Allison, Ph.D., chair of Immunology; and Padmanee Sharma, M.D., Ph.D., professor of Genitourinary Medical Oncology and Immunology. Request an appointment at MD Anderson by calling 1-877-632-6789 or online: