Research Check: do most melanoma patients have fewer than 20 moles?

Source: The Conversation, March 2016

The sooner cancer is diagnosed, the better the chance it can be treated. This is why, when it comes to melanoma, doctors advise people to regularly check their bodies and look out for new moles or existing ones that have changed shape.

We have long known people who have many moles – as well as those with atypical moles – have a predisposition to melanoma.

But a paper published last week in the respected journal JAMA Dermatology has challenged that notion. The study’s authors surveyed more than 500 melanoma patients and found most of those with melanoma had few moles and no atypical moles.

This was surprising and led to headlines such as: “Moles are NOT the only sign of deadly skin cancer: Most melanoma patients ‘have fewer than 20 – and none that look dangerous’.”

But people with a lot of moles and those with atypical moles shouldn’t cancel their skin check appointments. What we have always known still stands.