Cutaneous oncology program

描述：（申请人描述）皮肤恶性肿瘤是美国最常见的癌症类型。了解此类癌症的生物学基础，从而开发改进的治疗方法，是皮肤肿瘤学项目的主要目标，该项目包括代表10个部门的23名研究人员和3名非现场成员。该计划包括基础科学家和临床医生与了解皮肤肿瘤的生物学共同感兴趣。皮肤肿瘤项目的主要长期目标之一是将恶性黑色素瘤、皮肤t细胞淋巴瘤和非黑色素瘤皮肤癌的临床活动与旨在预防、改进诊断和治疗这些疾病的实验室工作联系起来。该项目可以访问恶性黑色素瘤和皮肤t细胞淋巴瘤患者的两个大型数据库，以协助检查肿瘤进展的新分子决定因素。目前由项目成员资助的研究包括：基底细胞痣综合征和色素性干皮病的分子基础；钙与角化细胞分化；蛋白酶与鳞状细胞癌的进展以及转基因小鼠的多步皮肤癌变。目前的癌症预防和控制工作集中在了解女性黑色素瘤的生物学和提高初级保健医生在非黑色素瘤皮肤癌领域的诊断技能。

Description: (Applicant's Description) Cutaneous malignancies represent the most common type of cancer in the United States. Understanding the biological basis of such cancers, leading to the development of improved therapies, is a major ongoing goal of the Cutaneous Oncology Program, which includes 23 investigators representing 10 departments and three off-site members. The Program includes basic scientists and clinicians with a common interest in understanding the biology of cutaneous neoplasms. One of the major long-term goals of the Cutaneous Oncology Program is to link the clinical activities in malignant melanoma, cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, and non-melanoma skin cancers with laboratory-based efforts aimed at prevention, improved diagnosis, and treatment of these diseases. The program has access to two large databases of patients with malignant melanoma and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma to assist in the examination of novel molecular determinants of tumor progression. Currently funded research undertaken by program members includes: molecular basis of basal cell nevus syndrome and xeroderma pigmentosum; calcium and keratinocyte differentiation; proteases and progression of squamous cell carcinoma; and multi-step cutaneous carcinogenesis in transgenic mice. Current cancer prevention and control efforts focus on understanding the biology of melanoma in women and improving the diagnostic skills of primary care physicians in the realm of non-melanoma skin cancers.