The
most dangerous form of skin cancer, these cancerous growths develop when unrepaired
DNA damage to skin cells triggers mutations (genetic defects) that lead the
skin cells to multiply rapidly and form malignant tumors. These tumors
originate in the pigment-producing melanocytes in the basal layer of the
epidermis. Melanomas often resemble moles; some develop from moles. The
majority of melanomas are black or brown color, but they can also be skin-colored,
pink, red, purple, blue or white. Melanoma which is the most often caused by ultraviolet radiation from sunshine or tanning beds.
According to
a new study by researchers of King's
College London in the UK, that The number of moles on one's right arm could be
used to predict the risk of melanoma - the deadliest form of skin cancer.
Lead author
Simon Ribero, of the Department of Twin
Research and Genetic Epidemiology at King's College, and colleagues publish
their findings in the British Journal of Dermatology.
While melanoma
accounts for less than 2% of all skin cancer cases in the US, it is also
responsible for the vast majority of skin cancer. In this year, more than
73,000 new melanomas will be diagnosed in the US, and almost 10,000 people will
die from the disease.
According to
Ribero and colleagues, each additional mole represents a 2-4% increased risk
for melanoma, but the researchers noticed that in a primary care setting, counting every
mole on each patient is time-consuming.
As a result,
the researchers set out to determine whether the number of moles on a specific
area of the body could be used to provide an estimate of the total number of
moles on the entire body, therefore indicating a person's risk for melanoma.
At least 11 moles on right arm may indicate greater
melanoma risk
The team
analyzed data of 3,594 female Caucasian twins who were part of the Twins UK
study Between January 1995 and December 2003.
Trained
nurses conducted a freckle and mole count on 17 body areas of each participant,
whose skin type and hair and eye color were also assessed. The researchers then
replicated their findings involving around 400 male and female subjects.
The
researchers found that the number of moles on an individual's right arm was the
strongest predictor of mole count over the whole body; women with more than
seven moles on their right arm were nine times more likely to have at least 50
moles on their entire body, while women with at least 11 moles on their right
arm were more likely to have over 100 moles on their whole body, indicating a
five-times greater risk for melanoma.
The results
also found the number of moles just above the right elbow was a significant
predictor of whole-body mole count, as was the number of moles on the legs and
the number of moles on men's backs.
Ribero
believes that in primary care settings these findings may have important
implications for melanoma diagnosis:
"The findings could have a
significant impact for primary care, allowing GPs to more accurately estimate
the total number of moles in a patient extremely quickly via an easily
accessible body part. This would mean that more patients at risk of melanoma
can be identified and monitored."
"And don't just look at your arms -
melanoma can develop anywhere on the body, and is most common on the trunk in
men and the legs in women."
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