A conversation with someone who has recently been diagnosed with late stage melanoma is radically different than it was just a few years ago. Today, we have more treatment options than ever before—in fact 12 new options have earned FDA approval since MRA’s founding, and each year, progress continues to be made. This unprecedented progress serves as a testament to the tenacity and determination of patients, clinicians, researchers, and the generosity of countless donors.

Despite this incredible progress—and the prolific research pipeline that has made it possible—facing melanoma is still incredibly difficult. Because melanoma remains a very serious foe.

When talking with people starting—or in the thick of—their melanoma journey, we outline the incredible advancements that have been made and do what we can to offer as much hope as possible.

For the Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA), this hope is grounded in sound science and promising research— something we know well. That’s because no other nonprofit has funded more research in the fight against melanoma than MRA. Since our founding, we’ve directly invested more than $110 million into innovative research and leveraged an additional $200 million from outside sources.

While impressive, we know that this progress is not sufficient. This year alone over 7,600 people will die from late stage melanoma and over 96,000 will be diagnosed with invasive disease.

Some people’s melanoma is resistant to even our best treatment options. Other people develop melanomas that are so rare—or so stubborn—that successful treatment options have yet to be found. And regardless of treatment options available, far too many people are forced to have the difficult conversation—telling their loved ones that they have melanoma in the first place.

This report is for these people.

We are proud to showcase our many achievements from the last year, and also highlight examples of how MRA strives every day to push the field further and to raise the bar higher for patients who need it most. Our mission of ending death and suffering due to melanoma remains steadfast in all we do, and this report captures just a few of those efforts.

None of this would be possible without the many individuals, organizations, government officials, and corporations who have joined us in our mission. Our work would not be possible without you.

Debra Black
Chair and Co-Founder

Michael Kaplan
President and CEO