Five little-known facts about melanoma
2020-08-07
Compared with other cancers, melanoma seems quite simple. But the impact of this disease goes far beyond the surface. Dr. Ashfaq Marghoob, a dermatologist at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Skin Cancer Center, shared some surprising facts.
01You may get melanoma without sun damage
Staying safe in the sun and not using sunbeds are two effective ways to prevent melanoma.
Dr. Marghoob said that approximately 30% of melanomas are not related to sun or other UV exposure. Some people may have minor sunburns, but they can still develop aggressive melanomas, including melanomas of the skin, eyes, mouth, and genital area.
The root cause of these melanomas has not been fully explained, but genes may play an important role.
02Most melanomas do not start with existing moles
Dr. Marghoob said melanoma can develop on existing moles, but nearly 70% of skin melanomas do not.
Instead, they occur on normal skin. Moles themselves are not cancerous, and it is extremely rare that a mole turns into a melanoma. Experts estimate that less than one in ten thousand moles will turn into melanoma.
Since most melanomas occur on normal skin, Dr. Marghoob emphasized the importance of protecting the entire surface of the body, including areas with many moles and areas without moles. For safety reasons, you can use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a SPF of at least 30, wear sun protection clothing, or use a combination of both methods.
03 Melanoma may be colorless
Although many melanomas are dark brown to black in color, some melanomas have no color and only appear as pink spots or bumps.
Dr. Marghoob said, beware of isolated pink spots, especially if this spot looks different from other spots on the skin. Pay attention to any spots or marks with uneven texture, shape, border, or color distribution. In addition, you should see a doctor immediately if there is any change.
04 Many melanomas do not need immediate treatment
Dr. Marghoob said that many people believe that all melanomas are extremely fast-growing cancers. They believe that even one day after the diagnosis of melanoma may be fatal.
Although certain subtypes of melanoma do develop very quickly, most early melanomas do not require immediate treatment, and there is enough time to detect, treat and cure them.
Dr. Marghoob recommends checking the skin once a month. He said, if you find changes in your skin, don't delay going to the dermatologist for examination. Even if your doctor thinks you may have melanoma, for most people, there is no need to rush for treatment.
05 Melanoma can go away on its own
Melanoma on the skin can go away on its own or start to degenerate without any treatment. This is because the body's immune system can launch an attack on this disease, and the intensity of this attack is sufficient to make it retreat.
Unfortunately, sometimes this happens only after the disease has spread to other parts of the body, such as the liver, lungs, bones, or brain.
Dr. Marghoob explained that the observation that the immune system causes the regression of melanoma is one of the key insights that led to the development of immunotherapy into a successful treatment for melanoma. Some experts believe that if the immune system can get rid of melanoma on its own, there must be a way to enhance the natural ability of the immune system to fight melanoma. This later led researchers to develop drugs designed to enhance the ability of the immune system to successfully combat melanoma that has spread.
