One melanoma means there’s a 15% risk of another

	Tweet

According to researchers in the U.S. recurrent melanoma is more common than previously thought, and as many as 15 percent of people diagnosed with the potentially fatal skin cancer are at risk of a second diagnosis within two years.

Melanoma begins in cells known as melanocytes, which produce the pigment that gives skin its color.

It is a particularly virulent form of skin cancer and can spread quickly and unpredictably to other organs of the body.

The researchers say that as many as 6 percent of patients will develop a second melanoma within one year of the initial diagnosis, while 8 percent will be diagnosed with a second malignancy within two years and those with atypical moles appear to be at higher risk.

The researchers from Dartmouth Medical School in Hanover, New Hampshire, say this is far more frequent than previously thought and points to the importance of surveillance and skin screenings.

Linda Titus-Ernstoff, Ph.D.,and colleagues examined the frequency of and risk factors for recurring cancer among 354 New Hampshire residents with a first diagnosis of cutaneous melanoma.

Participants completed a 40-minute telephone interview and answered questions about medical history, demographics, eye and hair color, sun exposure and whether their skin tanned, burned or freckled in the sun.

They then underwent a skin examination, during which a physician identified and catalogued benign and atypical moles.

Atypical moles have at least three of the following features: a diameter larger than 5 millimeters, redness, an irregular or ill-defined border, a variety of colors or a portion that is flat.

The study found little relationship between risk and benign moles, eye and hair color, and a lifetime history of sun exposure did not appear to influence the risk of recurring melanoma, but those with a history of sunburn were less likely to develop a second melanoma than those without.

The researchers caution against reading into this result and say those who are predisposed to develop multiple melanomas may be less susceptible to sunburn than those with one melanoma, or they may be more likely to avoid sun exposure.

They say the association should not be interpreted that sunburn protects patients with melanoma from developing additional tumors.

According to the American Cancer Society, 62,000 Americans are diagnosed with melanoma each year and nearly 8,000 people die from the disease annually.

In one-third of the patients who developed another melanoma within two years, the subsequent melanoma was deeper than the first.

The study is published in the April issue of Archives of Dermatology.

RELATED STORIES:
Skin cancer rate up for women under age 40-study   UK male deaths from melanoma skin cancer rising fast   New Option for Patients with Metastatic Melanoma   Green Tea Helps   Ultraviolet light helps skin cancer cells thrive, researchers report   Melanoma treatment options 1 step closer   Multiple skin cancer risk behaviors are common among US adults   Doctors may be able to hear skin cancer spread   Targeting PTEN May Prevent Skin Cancer   Melanoma rates higher in wealthy white women   Gene therapy beats skin cancer in two men   Indoor Tanning Contributes to Increased Incidence of Skin Cancer   Calorie restriction limits and obesity fuels development of epithelial cancers   New strategy developed to diagnose melanoma   Hispanics and Blacks with Melanoma More Likely to Be Diagnosed at a Later Stage   A Sun-Triggered Protein Drives Skin Cancer   Exercise protects against skin cancer   Special ultrasound accurately identifies skin cancer   Researchers use zebrafish to identify new gene linked to melanoma   New approaches to skin cancer prevention   Women with melanoma fare better than men   IBD patients face increased skin cancer risk

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]