According to a new study, having moles can increase a patient's risk of developing melanoma by four times. In the study conducted by researchers from University of Melbourne in Melbourne, Australia, University of Oxford in Oxford, United Kingdom, and the Epworth HealthCare in Victoria, Australia, researched identified 271,656 patients who had moles on their skin during a hospital visit and 10,130,417 patients who did not.
They found that the group with moles were about 4.6 times more likely to develop melanoma, the deadliest skin cancer, compared with the group with no moles.
Furthermore, researchers found that having moles on the trunk of the body increased the risk of both melanoma on the trunk and elsewhere on the body. Specifically, patients with moles on the trunk of their bodies were nine times more likely to develop melanoma of the trunk and 5.6 times more likely to develop the disease elsewhere.
Researchers warn patients that about half of melanomas develop in pre-existing moles, and in those cases, there is typically an area of the mole that changes color. They also advise patients to see a physician if the moles in changes in color, shape, or size.
Moles can quadruple your risk of developing melanoma, the deadliest type of skin cancer.
Having moles on your skin can quadruple your risk of developing melanoma, the deadliest type of skin cancer, according to a study released this week by experts at the University of Melbourne, University of Oxford, and the Epworth HealthCare.
The researchers compared the medical records of two groups of people – 271,656 for whom moles had been recorded during a hospital visit for any condition, and 10,130,417 who did not have moles recorded. Comparison of the two groups revealed over all, the group with moles were approximately 4.6 times more likely to develop melanoma than the group with no recorded moles.
From Medical Express
