Study: Most People Who Get Melanoma Had Few Moles

By Stacy Simon RESOURCES: Step-by-step skin self-exam instructionsWhat to look for: Images of skin growths People with a lot of moles on their body are thought to be at greater risk for melanoma skin cancer than people with fewer moles or none at all. But according to a study published March 2, 2016 in JAMA Dermatology, most people who get melanoma have few or no moles, so it’s important to pay attention to your skin and perform skin self-exams. According to study author Alan C. Geller, MPH, RN, a senior lecturer at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health in Boston, people at highest risk for melanoma include all people with light skin, but especially white men age 50 or older and people who use indoor tanning – regardless of whether they have a lot of moles. “We’ve been led to believe that one is at greater risk of melanoma by being very moley – and we are not dismissing that. We are not telling people to stop screening yourself if you have lots of moles. But we are finding that number of moles is not always the decisive factor. Every American adult of light and olive complexion should be getting a baseline skin exam and should be learning how to do a skin self-examination,” said Geller. Geller and his colleagues studied 566 people diagnosed with melanoma in Michigan and California. Dermatologists performed skin cancer exams on the participants, counting their moles and classifying them as typical (normal) or atypical (t...
Source: American Cancer Society :: News and Features - Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: Skin Cancer - Melanoma Source Type: news