A novel approach to cancer therapy using melanin-containing patches

In recent decades, the incidence of melanoma has been steadily raising, even if it is still considered to be a rare cancer. In contrast with what is observed in other solid tumors, melanomas principally affect young and middle-aged individuals who are often still in the prime of their carriers and are involved in raising a family. Surgery is the first-line treatment, in particular for early-stage melanomas; unfortunately, patients often develop metastasis, and the presence of a first tumor increases the chance to develop a second melanoma (1).