Memorial Sloan-Kettering’s multidisciplinary team treats approximately 1,000 individuals newly diagnosed with melanoma annually. Members meet weekly to review cases and devise customized treatment plans. The team includes experts in the diagnosis and treatment of cutaneous and ocular melanoma, and also provides psychosocial support to melanoma patients and their caregivers.
We have special expertise in the treatment of metastatic melanoma, and our center is home to a vigorous basic science research program aimed at deciphering the molecular underpinnings of the disease. Many Memorial Sloan-Kettering patients have the opportunity to participate in clinical trials of novel therapies, and our scientists have made headway in identifying ways to harness the power of the immune system to treat the illness. Among other activities, our research teams were instrumental in the development and clinical testing of vemurafenib (Zelboraf®) and ipilimumab (YervoyTM), the first agents in more than a decade found to improve survival in advanced melanoma.
