By Janine Rauscher | Director, Development Operations
The Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA) and our collaborators at the Veterans Administration (VA) Hospitals in Boston and Providence, and at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), continue to advance this important research into rare melanoma subtypes. The team has assembled the largest-ever case-control cohorts for acral (N=1,200), mucosal (N=520), and uveal melanomas (N=2,010).
Comparing patients with rare melanoma to those with cutaneous melanoma and cancer-free control cases, researchers have identified several factors associated with risk or potential protection for each rare melanoma subtype. Among Veterans, the team identified an association between Agent Orange exposure and increased risk of acral melanoma, with findings published in JAMA Dermatology in March 2026.
For uveal melanoma, researchers found that smoking was associated with increased risk, while patients with autoimmune conditions appeared to have a reduced risk of developing uveal melanoma. The team also presented findings on all three rare melanoma subtypes at the ASCO 2026 Annual Meeting in May–June.
Since the last update, the team has continued work on the mucosal melanoma manuscript and has continued the final phase of the study examining whether inherited genetic factors are associated with risk for rare melanoma. These findings will help deepen our understanding of the causes and risk factors associated with rare melanoma subtypes and may help guide future research into prevention, early detection, and treatment.
By Janine Rauscher | Director, Development Operations
By Marc Hulbert | Chief Executive Officer
Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.
Support this important cause by creating a personalized fundraising page.
Start a Fundraiser
