Noteboom The Law Firm

Promising New Therapies For Treating Melanoma

When an individual has been diagnosed with a severe medical condition where they are unable to continue working, they may qualify to receive Social Security disability benefits. This can help offset some of the lost income due to a long-term disability. For some conditions, such as cancer, the treatment is what actually makes it impossible for a person to continue working.

The Doctor's Lounge reports that researchers have found some success in new therapies to treat melanoma, a deadly type of skin cancer. As with all medical discoveries, these early findings will require further testing.

Melanoma first makes its appearance in the skin but eventually spreads to other parts of the body. When the cancer spreads it can turn deadly.

One study, which can be found in the Jan. 31 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, was based on using a patient's genetically engineered immune cells to combat the cancerous cells. It is known as "adoptive immunotherapy" and was found to be effective in 45% of patients with melanoma.

The second study focused on targeting a particular subgroup of cancer cells that are believed to be the cause of metastasis, the spreading of cancer. In this case, most of the tumors shrunk and remained that way for as long as 36 weeks. Researchers will now have to see if they can repeat these results in human subjects.

Consulting with a Social Security disability attorney should be your next step if you need help in applying for Social Security disability benefits or if you have been denied benefits.

Get a FREE Social Security disability guide and avoid the common mistakes many claimants make during their application or appeal. If you or your loved is suffering from a severe physical or mental disability, contact The Law Offices of LaVan & Neidenberg, P.A. - 1-888-234-5758.