AACR 2025: How Aging Skin Reshapes Melanoma Risk
New research presented at AACR 2025 helps explain why melanoma behaves more aggressively as we age — and why lifelong sun protection matters at every stage.
At the AACR 2025 Annual Meeting (April 25-30, Chicago, 25,000+ attendees), researchers presented findings on how aging fibroblasts reshape the melanoma tumor microenvironment, and noted that BRAF mutations occur in roughly 50% of melanomas.
Melanoma researchers note that the aging tumor microenvironment can change how melanoma cells grow and respond to therapy, which is why age is studied alongside genetics like BRAF status when developing treatment and prevention strategies.
Questions we get a lot
What is the tumor microenvironment in melanoma?
The tumor microenvironment is the surrounding tissue, cells, and signaling molecules that interact with a tumor. Research presented at AACR 2025 highlighted how aging fibroblasts in this environment can reshape how melanoma develops and progresses. Studying it helps scientists understand why the same cancer can behave differently in older versus younger patients.
How common are BRAF mutations in melanoma?
BRAF mutations occur in roughly 50% of melanomas and are an important target for therapy. Researchers continue to study how these mutations interact with the aging microenvironment. This matters because BRAF status guides treatment decisions for many patients.
r/melanoma: 'Does age change how dangerous melanoma is, or is it just that older people have had more sun exposure?'