Q: My niece has recently been diagnosed with malignant melanoma. She had a mole that didn’t look right and the doctor sent her for treatment right away. How do you tell if your moles are normal or not? Are there any new treatments available for melanoma?
A: Any new mole that appears should be checked to see if it is growing or changing shape. Existing moles sometimes turn into malignant melanomas. They can start to grow, with irregular shaped edges, or bleed. They can also be strange colours, such as red, whitish or blue or a mixture of colours.
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On men, melanomas are often found on the back, while on women, they are common on legs. If you have a suspicious looking mole, seek medical help as quickly as possible. If it is diagnosed before it spreads to the nearby lymph nodes, it can be surgically excised.
It was originally believed that a severe sunburn in childhood or adolescence was a predisposing factor, but now it is thought that sunburns at any age can be responsible.
Red-headed, freckled, light-skinned people are most at risk, followed by blue-eyed or green-eyed blondes.
Melanoma seems to be on the increase, possibly because of global warming. It is now a common cancer in the 15 to 35 age bracket.
New research has been shown to help patients make a full recovery from the more advanced stages of malignant melanoma. It is a type of vaccine that attacks the cancerous cells while leaving the healthy cells undamaged. It also carries agents that help boost the body’s natural response to skin cancer.
It is being tested in the United Kingdom, but Howard Kaufman at Chicago’s Rush University Medical Centre first made the discovery.
“Our study shows we may have a cure for some advanced melanoma patients and a drug, which has real benefits for others. This will save thousands of lives a year,” said Kaufman.
In a study of 50 patients who had been given no more than nine months to live, 16 percent made a complete recovery after receiving the vaccine. They have now been disease-free for more than four years. Another 28 percent saw the size of their tumours more than halved.
The vaccine could be available within five years.
Clare Rowson is a retired medical doctor in Belleville, Ont.
