Can melanoma be affected by chemical exposure?
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Can melanoma be affected by chemical exposure?

› Forums › General Melanoma Community › Can melanoma be affected by chemical exposure?

  • Post
    • March 8, 2016 at 3:53 pm
    Lillias0201
    Participant

    Three different people working at the same industrial chemical plant are diagnosed with melanoma within a two-year period. Person #1 has a stage-4B melanoma on a leg; I'm person #2 with a melanoma in situ on my forehead; and person #3 has metastatic melanoma with lesions on brain and lung, at this time that person still hasn't pinpointed the original melanoma site. Is there any possibility that the three of us could have been at higher risk for melanoma due to exposure to the chemicals in the worksite? Or is this simply a bizarre coincidence?

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  • Replies
      • March 8, 2016 at 4:03 pm
      Janner
      Participant

      Anything that can cause DNA to mutate can allow cancer to form.  Environmental factors can not be eliminated as a cause for melanoma.  Obviously, there is no way to know what causes mutations to take place and as more than one mutation likely has to happen for melanoma to start, exposure to chemicals certainly could play a part.  Maybe not the whole picture but I would never rule that out.  Other cancers are certainly caused by other environmental factors and jobs and I see no reason why that would not apply to melanoma.

      • March 8, 2016 at 4:03 pm
      Janner
      Participant

      Anything that can cause DNA to mutate can allow cancer to form.  Environmental factors can not be eliminated as a cause for melanoma.  Obviously, there is no way to know what causes mutations to take place and as more than one mutation likely has to happen for melanoma to start, exposure to chemicals certainly could play a part.  Maybe not the whole picture but I would never rule that out.  Other cancers are certainly caused by other environmental factors and jobs and I see no reason why that would not apply to melanoma.

      • March 8, 2016 at 4:03 pm
      Janner
      Participant

      Anything that can cause DNA to mutate can allow cancer to form.  Environmental factors can not be eliminated as a cause for melanoma.  Obviously, there is no way to know what causes mutations to take place and as more than one mutation likely has to happen for melanoma to start, exposure to chemicals certainly could play a part.  Maybe not the whole picture but I would never rule that out.  Other cancers are certainly caused by other environmental factors and jobs and I see no reason why that would not apply to melanoma.

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