[Fat Bear Science] Can a mole turn into cancer when it grows? Learn these 5 tips to judge

Everyone has several or even dozens of moles on their body. From a medical and health perspective, it is a good thing for a person to have no large "moles"!

Most moles grow slowly or remain unchanged for many years, and their diameter is generally no more than 6 mm. The vast majority of moles are benign and harmless, lying there obediently. Apart from affecting the appearance, they have no effect on physical health and generally do not require treatment. However, if a mole grows in a place where it should not grow, suddenly becomes different from before, or has a diameter greater than 6 mm, then you should pay attention. Because even a small mole has the risk of becoming cancerous.

Expert Profile

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Yu Huiqing

Director of the Palliative Care Department, Director of the Clinical Nutrition Department, Chongqing University Cancer Hospital, Chief Physician, and Master’s Supervisor.

He is good at early screening and treatment of lung nodules and lung cancer, comprehensive individualized diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer and clinical translational research. He is particularly good at chemotherapy, molecular targeted therapy, biological immunotherapy, cancer pain, tumor nutrition and other oncology diagnosis and treatment techniques for lung cancer.

Clinic hours: Monday morning

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Golden Osmanthus

Resident physician in the Department of Palliative Medicine, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Chongqing University.

We have rich clinical experience in the diagnosis and treatment of common malignant tumors such as lung cancer and colorectal cancer, as well as the salvage and supportive treatment of advanced cancers.

There are three types of moles

Intradermal nevus: Common in adults, present in the dermis. Smooth surface, clear boundaries. Larger than 1 mm, flat or slightly raised, with dark and uniform color, light brown, dark brown or jet black. Generally, no canceration occurs.

Junctional nevus: Usually present at birth or may occur soon after birth. Located at the junction of the epidermis and dermis, it is often seen on the palms, soles, lips, and external genitalia. The surface is flat or slightly elevated, and is light brown, brown-black, or blue-black. It may become cancerous and may develop into melanoma.

Mixed nevus: more common in children and teenagers, it is a mixture of the above two types. It is generally like an intradermal nevus, but because it has the components of a junctional nevus, it can also become cancerous.

The incidence of malignant melanoma, i.e. cancerous moles, is 1/100,000 in China, which is about 1/10 of that of Caucasians, significantly lower than that of Caucasians. In normal skin, melanocytes are evenly distributed in the skin, while the formation of melanocytic nevi is the increase in the number of melanocytes, which are huddled together.

Melanocytic moles can have different appearances: the following are all normal.

Intradermal nevus generally do not become malignant, while junctional nevus and mixed nevus are more likely to become malignant. Some factors increase the probability of nevus becoming cancerous and turn melanin nevus into malignant melanoma, such as ultraviolet radiation, excessive sun exposure, friction, heredity, trauma, endocrine abnormalities, chemical carcinogens, and immune deficiency or immunodeficiency.

Beware of 4 types of mole cancer

Moles in areas that are frequently rubbed

Pigmented moles in special parts such as the nasal cavity, oral mucosa, palms, soles of the feet, vulva, anus, and genitals are prone to malignant changes due to frequent friction.

Moles that are exposed for a long time

Long-term exposure to the sun may increase the chances of moles changing due to ultraviolet rays. If moles in these areas suddenly change, such as suddenly increasing in size or darkening or blackening, or suddenly bleeding or ulceration, or new small black spots appear around the mole, you should seek medical attention immediately.

Congenital giant mole

People who are born with giant congenital moles that are more than 6 mm in diameter have a higher risk of malignant transformation than normal people.

Moles that change

Such as rapidly enlarging, painful, itchy, color changing, ulcerating, non-healing moles, and the appearance of satellite lesions around them.

5 tips to help you identify

Compared with other skin cancers, melanoma is a more "evil" type, with rapid progression, easy metastasis, and high mortality rate. However, if it is treated in the early stage, the 5-year survival rate can reach more than 90%; if it is in the late stage, the prognosis is very poor, less than 10%.

5 tips to teach you how to make a preliminary judgment on whether a mole is benign or malignant, referred to as the ABCDE method: you can judge whether a mole is a malignant melanoma based on five aspects: symmetry, shape, color, diameter, and characteristics of the mole.

Look at the symmetry

Ordinary moles are symmetrical on both sides, while malignant melanomas are mostly irregular in shape, divided into two and asymmetrical on both sides.

Look at the edge

Ordinary moles have smooth edges and are clearly demarcated from the surrounding skin, while malignant melanomas are often jagged, like a map, with irregular surroundings.

Look at the color

The colors of common moles are mostly black, brown, and tan, while malignant melanomas often have a variety of colors mixed in with common moles, or the color may suddenly deepen, turn black, or begin to fade within a few months.

Look at the diameter

The diameter of malignant melanomas usually exceeds 5-6 mm, especially when they increase significantly in a short period of time.

See features

Ordinary moles do not change throughout the year and do not cause any discomfort. Melanoma often grows rapidly in a short period of time, and the surrounding skin has an inflammatory reaction, such as local swelling, bleeding, festering, ulcers, itching, difficulty in healing, pain or scabs.

Finally, I hope that young people with moles will always pay attention to their moles. If a mole grows in a threatening place or changes, you should seek medical attention in time. However, we must also learn to accept the moles on our bodies. Each mole is our unique mark.

Text/Fat Bear

Picture/partially from the Internet (please contact us to delete if there is any infringement)

Audit/Palliative Care

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