Rethinking Melanoma Risk Factors

Study suggests that genetic factors and family history have a more significant influence on the risk of developing skin cancer.

Contrary to previous beliefs, genetics and family history outweigh sun exposure in determining the risk of melanoma, as per a new study from Cleveland Clinic in the US, published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology ().

Researchers noted that genetic screens to assess risk factors for patients with a family history of melanoma are rare as previous, limited studies showed that only 2-2.5 percent of all cases are genetic. Up to 15 percent (1 in 7) of patients who received melanoma diagnoses between 2017 and 2020 showed mutations in cancer susceptibility genes, revealed their results.

Melanoma
Melanoma of the skin is a dangerous type of skin cancer that usually appears as a cancerous mole due to exposure to the sun’s damaging UV rays.

‘Did You Know?
Regular use of sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or higher can reduce the risk of melanoma by 50%. #melanoma #sunexposure #skincancer’

Genetic Puzzle of Melanoma

Joshua Arbesman from the Clinic said that genetic testing can help physicians "proactively identify, screen and even treat the families" with inherited genes.

He urged physicians and insurance companies "to expand their criteria when it comes to offering genetic testing to individuals with family histories of melanoma".It is "because inherited predisposition to it isn't nearly as rare as we think it is", he added.

The findings also support an increasingly popular opinion amongst cancer biologists: there are risk factors beyond sun exposure that can influence an individual's chances of developing melanoma."Not all of my patients had inherited mutations that made them more susceptible to the sun," Joshua said.

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"There's something more going on here and more research is needed," he said.

Reference:

Germline cancer susceptibility in individuals with melanoma - (https://www.jaad.org/article/S0190-9622(24)00504-8/abstract)

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