Harnessing Autophagy for Melanoma Benefit

Cutaneous melanoma, the most aggressive form of skin cancer, remains one of the most difficult human cancers to treat, with an increasing incidence in developed countries which has risen faster than any other malignancy over the past 40 years. Melanoma occurs when the pigment-producing cells (melanocytes) within the basal epidermis become transformed due to both environmental and genetic risk factors. Although early stage disease is treatable through surgical excision alone, metastatic melanoma is highly invasive and evolves with an extensive repertoire of molecular defences against immunological and cytotoxic attack, rendering this type of tumour notoriously unresponsive to conventional chemotherapy and leaving an acute need for novel therapeutic strategies