Rehabilitation of moles

Melanomas are formed from "moles" only in 30% of cases

Anna Kerman, XX2 century, based on the materials of MedicalNewsToday: Most melanomas grow as new spots, not from existing moles

A meta-analysis of studies on the development of melanomas has shown that this type of cancer most often develops not from existing "moles", but appears in new places. Dermatologists believe that this discovery should be the reason for regular skin examinations in search of neoplasms and changes.

A group of researchers from Italy and Greece described their conclusions based on the study of 38 scientific papers. The results of the meta-analysis were published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Melanoma is a particularly aggressive form of skin cancer. It begins with mutations in melanocytes, the cells that give the skin color. Mutated cells begin to multiply uncontrollably, which leads to the formation of a tumor.

The most common cause of the development of melanomas is exposure to ultraviolet radiation on the skin, for example, as a result of being in the sun or visiting a solarium. Ultraviolet rays can affect skin cells and alter their DNA.

Melanoma is much easier to cure with timely detection, until the tumor has grown deeper than the epidermis, the outer layer of the skin. If the treatment was not started on time, melanoma can penetrate into the deep layers of the skin and spread throughout the body, forming metastases. When this has already happened, it is almost impossible to save the patient, his chances of survival are minimal.

During the study, the scientists explained that the available evidence for the development of melanoma from an existing nevus ("moles") is mixed – in some cases, a malignant tumor appears on the skin in a place where there were no "moles" before.

Since the late 1940s, studies on melanoma have led to various results. Some studies claim that melanomas develop from already formed "moles" only in 4% of cases. Other researchers put the figure at 72%, and the authors of a previously published meta-analysis of 25 papers concluded that melanomas appear in place of nevi in 36% of cases.

The creators of the new review believe that the main reason for the above-mentioned disagreements could be the heterogeneity of the works themselves. The authors of the initial studies studied various aspects of cancer development and its causes, in particular, they studied the thickness of tumors, as well as the characteristics of "moles" or the location of melanoma. At the same time, as scientists emphasize, it is often difficult to describe the features of the nevus from which the tumor was formed, since melanoma often deforms or even destroys nearby tissues.

In total, 38 scientific papers were analyzed as part of the preparation of the review. Some of the studies were observational in nature, some were based on the principle of "case – control". In total, 20,126 clinical cases of melanoma were described in the papers.

After analyzing the results, it turned out that the majority (70.9%) of melanomas in patients were formed de novo, that is, in a place where there were no "moles". Of the nevi, only 29.1% of tumors appeared.

The connection between melanomas associated with "moles" and the presence of abnormal (dysplastic) tissue in the "mole" was not found by scientists. In addition, the study showed that tumors developing from nevi are usually thinner than those that appear "out of the blue." Theoretically, this may mean that patients who have melanoma formed from a "mole" have a better prognosis than those who have it de novo.

It is also interesting that patients who regularly checked their moles in search of suspicious changes got a chance to detect melanoma in the early stages, when treatment is most effective.

The American Academy of Dermatology recommends periodically checking your skin and asking family members to examine your back and other hard-to-reach places, while paying attention not only to changes in existing "moles", but also to the appearance of new ones.

The Academy's experts also recommend protecting yourself from dangerous ultraviolet radiation by covering your skin with clothing or using water-resistant broad-spectrum sunscreens with SPF 30 and higher.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru  06.09.2017