In November 2023, a meeting on malignant melanoma, entitled "Challenging Malignant Melanoma", was held at the Champalimaud Foundation. It was organised by the Dermatology Unit and aimed at doctors and researchers from various specialisations. The organisers consider it a success and intend to repeat this type of event to bring together clinical and scientific expertise.

But it isn’t only a skin cancer: there exist other, though much rarer, forms of malignant melanoma that can develop in other parts of the body.

For instance, mucosal melanoma occurs on mucous membranes, which line various cavities in the body. Mucosal melanomas can be found in the head and neck, the anorectal region, the vulvovaginal region and the urinary tract. These melanomas have a poorer prognosis than skin melanomas.

Tânia Mesquita, 36, is responsible for the customer care area, for the clinical secretariat – and above all, for welcoming patients at the Champalimaud Clinical Centre (CCC). She has a degree in management, a master's degree in strategic marketing and a post-graduate degree in Health Unit Management.

Pancreatic cancer is indeed a scary disease. This is because, when it becomes symptomatic enough to be detected and diagnosed, it has , in many cases, already disseminated, with  metastatic tumor cells invading other organs. 

Actually, it is among the most deadly forms of cancer, with an estimated five-year survival rate of around 3% once it has become metastatic, down from 44% when it is still localised, according to recent figures from the US National Cancer Institute. 

A Global Spotlight on a Silent Threat

The exponential rise in pancreatic cancer cases, particularly in industrialised nations, has prompted these leading research centres to join forces. With pancreatic cancer poised to become the second leading cause of cancer death in Europe and the USA within the next two decades, these institutions are emphasising the urgent need for enhanced public awareness about the disease.

Cancer immunotherapy is any treatment that uses our own immune system to fight cancer. There are several types of immunotherapy, some of which are already being used routinely, and others still mostly experimental. They are generally a second line of treatment, following chemotherapy, radiotherapy or surgery. 

The new programme aims to increase the detection of MPM, focusing on workers at asbestos cement factories, in Portugal, who have been exposed to asbestos since the 1960’s, and covering a total of around 200 people who have already been identified by SOS Amianto.
 

The Champalimaud Foundation, a private non-profit research institution located in Lisbon, Portugal, has achieved a significant milestone in cancer research and pre-clinical development by obtaining exclusive rights to deploy synthetic biology technologies initially licensed from Stanford University and further developed by Refuge Biotechnologies (Refuge), a pioneering synthetic biology company specialising in cancer immunotherapy.

A side-effect “is any effect of a drug, chemical, or other medicine that is in addition to its intended effect, especially an effect that is harmful or unpleasant”. 

Interview with António Parreira, Clinical Director of the Champalimaud Clinical Centre

Has there been an increase in the number of cancer cases? What is the reason for this?

We know that there has indeed been an increase. The question is to try to understand how we can, not only understand this phenomenon, but also, somehow, minimise its effects.

This phenomenon has to do with ageing. The development of cancers is one of the very direct consequences of ageing.