Find out what you need to know about suspicious moles, early skin cancer detection, mole biopsy and diagnosis

Skin Cancer

Skin cancer is the most common of all cancers. It accounts for nearly half of all cases of cancer in the United States. More than one million cases of non-melanoma skin cancer are found in this country each year. The American Cancer Society estimates that about 10,500 deaths from skin cancer occurred in 2005: 7,700 from melanoma and 2,800 from other skin cancers.

You are your own first line of defense

Most of the spots on your skin – freckles, birthmarks, moles – are normal, but some may be cancerous. There are three main types of skin cancer. Fortunately, they can usually be discovered at an early stage, when they are readily curable. If you ever spot these or any other suspicious or changing growths, see Dr. Shafa promptly.

What is the chance of my mole turning into skin cancer?

Although an individual mole is unlikely to become malignant (the lifetime risk being about 1 in 3,000 to 10,000), the single best predictor of risk for development of melanoma is the total number of moles.

Who is at a high risk for developing hereditary melanoma (Skin Cancer)?

Patients with atypical moles who are from melanoma-prone families (i.e. 2 or more 1st-degree relatives have cutaneous melanomas) have a high lifetime risk of developing melanomas. The risk of conversion of atypical moles into skin cancer increases with the number of atypical moles as well as with increasing sun exposure.

Familial atypical mole–melanoma syndrome refers to the presence of multiple atypical moles and melanoma in 2 or more 1st-degree relatives. These patients are 25 times more likely to develop melanoma.

How often should my mole be examined?

Patients with multiple atypical moles and a personal or family history of melanoma should be examined regularly (yearly for family history, more often for personal history of melanoma).

The entire skin (including the scalp) should be examined carefully and a biopsy should be performed of one or more atypical-appearing lesions.