My quest for a “name” for Robert’s melanoma came to an end today when we saw Dr. Lipson at Johns Hopkins Hospital. We were there for the one-month follow-up after Robert received the last of four sets of injections with the melanoma GVAX vaccine as part of a clinical trial at Hopkins. I hope my question today about whether Robert’s melanoma has been classified as “nodular” marks the last time I ask for a name.

Studies reported in the online version of Science magazine last week represent a breakthrough in researchers’ understanding of melanoma. Reading about them in Science didn’t mean much to me ... so I embarked on a mission to learn. Perhaps I can write about this in a way that will help others understand, too.

Our trip to Baltimore yesterday was not routine because we threw in an appointment with Dr. Tim Wang, director of the Cutaneous Surgery & Oncology Unit at Johns Hopkins. What I learned was different from what I expected.