|
 Melanoma accounts for only about 1% of skin cancers but causes the
majority of skin cancer deaths.
Writing in the medical journal CMAJ, two dermatology experts
highlight important things to know about the most dangerous form of
skin cancer.
"Melanomas can occur anywhere on the body, not only in areas that
get a lot of sun," Dr. Kucy Pon told Reuters Health by email. She
said the most common site in men is the back, while for women it is
the leg.
More than 90% of melanomas with the most common genetic
characteristics are caused by too much ultraviolet radiation, either
from the sun or from sun lamps like the kind used at tanning salons,
Pon and co-author Robert Micieli say.
But for some melanomas on peripheral body parts like palms and
soles, and on mucosal surfaces, sun exposure is not the primary
cause, the authors note. In these cases, the cancer's development
may more closely match the chain of events that lead to
non-skin-cancers.
Pon said the incidence of melanoma has been rising over the last 30
years, with an estimated 192,300 new cases expected in the U.S. in
2019.
The disease can affect anyone, regardless of skin color, Pon said.
Along with sun exposure, risk factors include advancing age, moles,
many atypical looking moles and a family history of melanoma.
"The first sign of a melanoma is an unusual looking mole or freckle,
said Pon, a dermatologist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center in
Toronto.
But she and Micieli warn that in one of every 10 melanoma patients,
the lesion may have no color at all and is difficult to diagnose.
"These unpigmented melanomas may be pinkish-looking, reddish,
purple, normal skin color or essentially clear and colorless," said
Dr. Ronald Moy, a board-certified dermatologist in Beverly Hills,
California and a spokesperson for the Skin Cancer Foundation.
[to top of second column] |
Moy said in an email that these atypical melanomas can resemble
other forms of skin cancers or, worse, may be mistaken for benign
moles, scars or cysts, which may prove dangerous, since early
detection of melanoma is critical.
Indeed, Pon and Micieli say any lesions suspected of being melanoma
should be examined by a dermatologist, especially a lesion with
so-called "ABCDE" features: Asymmetry, Border irregularity, Color
variation, Diameter over 6 mm and Evolving or changing.
"Prevention and early detection are key," agreed Dr. Emily Newsom, a
dermatologist at UCLA Health in Los Angeles.
For prevention, dermatologists recommend frequent reapplication of
at least 30 SPF broad-spectrum sunscreen as well as sun protective
clothing and wide brimmed hats.
Finally, Pon and Micieli advise, when patients do have melanoma –
particularly in cosmetically sensitive areas like face - the optimal
way to excise it is with Mohs surgery, in which thin layers of the
tumor are removed until only cancer-free tissue remains.
Researchers have made "tremendous breakthroughs" in learning about
the genes involved in melanoma, said Dr. Jeffrey Farma, co-director
of the Melanoma and Skin Cancer Program at Fox Chase Cancer Center
in Philadelphia.
As a result, Farma added, great strides are being made in targeted
therapies and immunotherapies for treating advanced melanoma and
improving survival.
SOURCE: http://bit.ly/314Ey1p CMAJ, online May 13, 2019.
[© 2019 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2019 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |
