New research could cut down on the amount of skin removed during some melanoma surgeries. Many metastatic melanoma patients benefit greatly from surgery, but the required incisions can sometimes result in complications, including pain. While surgeries are often included in state two melanoma treatment plans, there’s no consensus in the medical community about the size of incisions required during the procedures. “Currently, there's no high-quality evidence about the excision margins that we should be using for patients with stage two malignant melanoma,” says Joal Beane, MD, a surgical oncologist at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute. Click to learn more about melanoma, including risks, symptoms and treatment options at The Ohio State University. Beane and his team are working to provide that evidence through a new, long-term study called the melanoma margins trial, or MelMarT. Their findings could lead to reductions in side effects from surgeries. “In theory, a smaller incision should be associated with less pain, less wound complications and an improved long-term quality of life once a patient receives their surgery to then be followed for several years to see if there's a benefit,” Beane says. “If the proposed hypothesis of this study is correct, patients may be able to undergo smaller incision with regards to their melanoma resection.” Click here for the full details about the MelMarT melanoma trial at the OSUCCC – James. Melanoma is the most aggressive form of skin cancer, and is diagnosed approximately 76,000 diagnoses each year in the U.S. Beane believes there will be a lot of interest in the study, which will expand to include patients from outside the OSUCCC – James. “We anticipate that more than 3000 patients will be recruited to participate in this study from around the world,” he says. “Once a patient receives their surgery, they’ll then be followed for several years to see if there are benefits.” The study serves as a good example of the benefits of Comprehensive Cancer Centers like The James, where patients often have access to cutting-edge clinical care before it becomes more widely adopted. “We found there's a lot of enthusiasm for this study,” Beane says. “Patients want to be a part of it because it's practice changing and could really revolutionize treatment.” Click here to learn more about cancer clinical trials underway at the OSUCCC – James.