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In article <tq4Ue.536$Ef2.390@trndny04>, jay <jaynews@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>I have a lot of moles (hundreds, maybe over 1000) and I have light skin, but
>avoid sunlight and use sunscreen. I'm just wondering what the goal should
>be with regard to a doctor's decision to remove any of my moles. I want to
>verify that a dermatologist should REALLY be removing moles that aren't
>actually suspected of currently being actual cancer. If a dermatologist
>should really be removing moles not suspected of currently being actual
>cancer, then under what circumstances should a mole removed?
>
>My impression is that dermatologists will remove moles that are suspected of
>being "potential precursors to cancer" without actually currently being
>cancer. Is this a valid precautionary treatment?
Moles can develop into melanoma, which is a really bad cancer. Unlike most
other skin cancers, melanomas usually metastasize very early, and once they
do, the chances of effective treatment are very poor. So by the time a mole
can be identified as a true cancer, it may be too late. Melanomas, unlike
most cancers, often occur in relatively young people and are all too often
fatal. That's why 'suspicious' moles, ones that have shown visible changes,
are usually removed -- the consequences of not doing so can be terrible,
and often the only way to determine whether it's benign, precancerous or
already an early stage of cancer is to remove it and examine the tissue.
I'm not a doctor, and I don't know the rate or probability of progression
of dysplastic moles into melanomas, but since a simple office procedure can
prevent a disastrous outcome, I don't think it's unreasonable to err far on
the side of caution when deciding whether a mole should be removed. For a
patient who has already had many dysplastic or precancerous moles, I would
think that even more caution (i.e. aggressive treatment, removal) would be
a good idea.
I can appreciate that you aren't happy about all these procedures to remove
moles that are developing abnormalities, but they may be saving your life.
I suggest you search for information about melanoma on the net, especially
reliable sites like the National Cancer Institute. You could also search
PubMed with the key "dysplastic nevus", which brings up almost 1000 papers.
You should also discuss the matter with your doctor.
(Note that the skin cancers older people get on exposed skin like face and
hands from excess sunlight are a totally different kind. They can grow
in place slowly for many years, sometimes forming large eroded sores, before
they metastasize, so they are seldom life threatening. Melanoma, on the
other hand is a fast growing, very aggressive cancer, and very difficult to
treat once it spreads, and it spreads very early.)
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