Scientists are hopeful that a new drug will prove to be a breakthrough in the fight against skin cancer.

Trials being conducted at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London have shown that the drug stalls growth of the most aggressive form of skin cancer and increases the overall survival rate in comparison to current treatments.

The drug, currently known as RG7204, targets a specific faulty gene which is found in half of all malignant melanoma cases and it is hoped that the new treatment could extend life by six or seven months whereas current treatments can only stop the progression of the cancer for a couple of months.

The study involved 680 skin cancer sufferers worldwide and in 70% of cases using the new drug showed at least some shrinking of the tumour.

Rates of malignant melanoma have increased faster than any other cancer over the last 25 years and it is now the second most common cancer in young adults in the UK. It affects almost twice as many young women as it does men.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/8269430/Skin-cancer-drug-of...