Five Melanoma Risk Factors That Everyone Should Be Familiar With

In Harmm’s Way

I have a friend named Mart who lived in Phoenix, Arizona, during the 1960s. He recalls the blazing summers as nothing out of the ordinary – not to him anyway. He was a carefree pre-teen back then, and he just assumed that the temperature hovered around 100 degrees everywhere during the summertime.

Of course, that was long before sunblock appeared on the scene, so Mart also recalls a number of painful sunburns. All that sun exposure produced plenty of cancer-fighting vitamin D, of course, but at the same time his skin was getting damaged in ways that wouldn’t show up for another three decades when he was diagnosed with squamous cell skin cancer.

Fortunately, squamous cell and basal cell skin cancers are not life threatening and fairly easy to treat. Melanoma, however, is much more dangerous form of skin cancer for which Mart needs to be always on the lookout. And he can get some assistance from a new study that reveals five melanoma risk factors that everyone should be familiar with.

Warning signs

May is National Melanoma and Skin Cancer Detection Month, and right on cue, the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology has just published a new study in which researchers analyzed malignant melanoma (MM) data collected by the American Academy of Dermatology between 2001 and 2005. Their goal: to create a model for increased likelihood for MM detection.

Data was collected from nearly 365,000 subjects, ages 18 to 100. Analysis of the data produced five key risk factors that the research team has identified with the acronym HARMM:

H: History of previous melanoma
A: Age over 50
R: Regular dermatologist absent
M: Mole changing
M: Male gender

The “R” in that group is awkwardly worded. It doesn’t mean your regular dermatologist is out of town – it means you don’t have a dermatologist who you regularly visit.

According to Darrell S. Rigel, M.D. – a dermatologist and a fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology who was interviewed by Ivanhoe Newswire – anyone who qualifies for any four HARMM factors is almost five times more likely to develop melanoma compared to those who qualify for fewer than four.

ABCsplus D & E

Melanoma usually shows up first in moles, which consist of concentrations of cells that generate excess melanin, the pigment that colors our skin and protects deeper layers of skin from ultraviolet rays. When the skin is overexposed to ultraviolet rays, melanocytes (the cells that make melanin) may grow abnormally and become cancerous.

Melanoma has a 95 percent survival rate when the disease is caught in the earliest stages. And the best way to catch it early is with monthly self-examination. So what should you be looking for? In a Health eTips e-letter, Amanda Ross explains that doctors use the acronym “ABCD” to remind them of the telltale signs of a worrisome mole:

• Asymmetry
• Border irregularity
• Color variegation
• Diameter greater than 6 millimeters

Amanda writes: “Now researchers are proposing that an E should be added to the equation – for ‘evolving.’ After looking at dozens of past studies that included 30 subjects or more, authors of a new report found that 88 percent of patients noted an evolution of their melanoma before it was removed.

“Enlargement was reported most often, but changes in shape, symptoms (itching, tenderness), surface (especially bleeding), and shades of color were also noted.”

If you qualify for several HARMM factors, it’s a good idea to find a good dermatologist who can examine potential problems and help you keep track of ABCDE changes.