Melanoma- Not Just Skin Cancer

All cancer diagnoses are terrifying, but a melanoma diagnosis is both frightening and confusing. When Catherine M. Poole learned she had melanoma twenty-five years ago, she found that most of the literature on melanoma focused on prevention. To add to her understandable alarm, she couldn’t find clear, concise information on treatment options. Poole wanted to be an informed patient, but she had no resources.

She survived melanoma and has become a dedicated activist for melanoma research and a staunch patient advocate. Her new book, Melanoma: Not Just Skin Cancer, is a comprehensive guide to melanoma treatments. She tells her own survival story, as well as the stories of others. Since 2012, scientific advances have allowed even those with stage IV melanoma to survive and thrive. Poole wants every patient to find hope, but also clarity. Written for a lay audience, Melanoma: Not Just Skin Cancer explains the benefits of two primary but different melanoma treatments: targeted therapy and immunotherapy.

Poole understands every facet of melanoma treatment: new technologies, clinical trials, patient empowerment, and the intricate research connections between academia and the pharmaceutical industry. As a former patient, she knows melanoma patients want options. Options exist. Patients should understand them.