Melanoma: Early Detection and Prevention

Everyone is at some risk for skin cancer, but certain factors increase this risk. Most risk factors apply to all three of the major skin cancers, but there are certain factors associated with only non-melanoma skin cancers and others that pertain to only melanoma.

Follow the link below for full information. This section only applies to melanoma.

These risk factors are specific to melanoma:

• Age: Your chances of developing melanoma increase with age. A 70-year-old�s risk of developing melanoma is twice that of a 45-year-old. At the same time, it is one of the most common cancers in people under 30 years old.
• Sex: One in 57 men will develop melanoma as opposed to one in 81 women.
• Family history of breast or ovarian cancer: Anyone who has close family members with one or both of these cancers may be at increased risk of melanoma, mostly likely because of a similar kind of gene mutation.
• Moles: A mole is a benign (noncancerous) tumor that usually begins during the childhood or teenage years. A mole is a collection of pigment cells that are usually round or oval, flat or raised, symmetrical with smooth borders, and are one of several colors. It is a good idea to be on the alert and check your moles regularly. On average, people have between 10 and 40 moles, with new ones appearing until middle adulthood. A chance of any single mole becoming cancerous is low: around 1 in 2,000 for men and one in 9,000 for women. People with lots of moles or who have large moles are at a higher risk for melanoma.
• Dysplastic moles: These moles develop from childhood on through the adult years and often run in families. If you have family members with dysplastic moles you have a 50 percent chance of developing them. Lifetime melanoma risk for those with dysplastic moles is between 6 and 10 percent, depending on age, family history, the number of dysplastic moles, and other factors.
• Congenital melanocytic moles: These moles are present at birth and bring about a 6 percent lifetime risk. The larger the melanocytic moles, the greater the risk.