Tore off a mole and died?
"A friend tore off a mole, and a month later died of melanoma (skin cancer)"! Have you read this on the Internet? Have you injured a mole? Then the following article is for you
There is indeed research on this issue. In the second half of the 20th century, there were several of them. The authors came to the conclusion that traumatization of benign moles (nevi) is one of the causes of melanoma. Moreover, this thesis is regularly heard even in our time.
Let's analyze these works.
They were held in the form of a survey. From 27 to 88% of the surveyed people with skin melanoma reported "trauma of previous nevi". This is what the authors ' conclusions are based on.
Unfortunately, there are a number of questions that the authors are unlikely to be able to answer:
1 ) Was the nevus really benign before the injury?
2) Is it proved that the "rebirth" occurred AFTER the injury, and not before it?
3) Even if the events developed exactly in the sequence "nevus-trauma-melanoma", what does it say about the CONNECTION between damage and tumor development?
In response, we only have the opinions of researchers. Unfortunately, it is impossible to consider them as evidence in the current realities.
"And what do you suggest?" - the intrusive reader will ask.
⠀
Evidence
4 studies included patients with 760 dysplastic (!) nevi that were partially removed. This means that part of the nevus remained in the skin, and in the histological conclusion it is written “at the edges of the resection of the nevus cell”(read-there are pieces of a mole left in the wound). Such a situation can be safely equated with traumatization. Patients with such nevi were observed from 2 to 20 years(follow-up periods vary). None of the studies showed an increased risk of developing melanoma at the site of incomplete removal of the dysplastic nevus.
We would like to note that in these publications our confidence in the conclusions obtained is much higher, as there is evidence that:
the nevus was benign before traumatization;
nevus was injured;
the melanoma did not develop at the removal site.
Taking into account the above data, the question " can melanoma(skin cancer) develop after a mole injury?” we consider it finally closed. No, it can't.
Let's analyze these works.
They were held in the form of a survey. From 27 to 88% of the surveyed people with skin melanoma reported "trauma of previous nevi". This is what the authors ' conclusions are based on.
Unfortunately, there are a number of questions that the authors are unlikely to be able to answer:
1 ) Was the nevus really benign before the injury?
2) Is it proved that the "rebirth" occurred AFTER the injury, and not before it?
3) Even if the events developed exactly in the sequence "nevus-trauma-melanoma", what does it say about the CONNECTION between damage and tumor development?
In response, we only have the opinions of researchers. Unfortunately, it is impossible to consider them as evidence in the current realities.
"And what do you suggest?" - the intrusive reader will ask.
⠀
Evidence
4 studies included patients with 760 dysplastic (!) nevi that were partially removed. This means that part of the nevus remained in the skin, and in the histological conclusion it is written “at the edges of the resection of the nevus cell”(read-there are pieces of a mole left in the wound). Such a situation can be safely equated with traumatization. Patients with such nevi were observed from 2 to 20 years(follow-up periods vary). None of the studies showed an increased risk of developing melanoma at the site of incomplete removal of the dysplastic nevus.
We would like to note that in these publications our confidence in the conclusions obtained is much higher, as there is evidence that:
the nevus was benign before traumatization;
nevus was injured;
the melanoma did not develop at the removal site.
Taking into account the above data, the question " can melanoma(skin cancer) develop after a mole injury?” we consider it finally closed. No, it can't.
