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Removing all moles just in case?
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Removing all moles just in case?

› Forums › Cutaneous Melanoma Community › Removing all moles just in case?

  • Post
    • April 22, 2017 at 11:20 pm
    KatieB
    Participant

      Recently diagnosed, 1A, I probably have 50 moles and I'd say 20 of them or so are irregular.

      Ive probably had another 20 removed in my life and the scars to me, are minor and less noticeable than the moles.

      So I'm inclined to take the 20 irregular ones off – has anyone done that? Taken off moles as a preventive measure?

      I'm hoping my doctor will agree – it seems safer to me and like it will help me sleep better. 

       

      Thanks for any advice,

       

      katie

       

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    • Replies
        • April 22, 2017 at 11:38 pm
        Janner
        Participant

          It's been studied.  Since 50% of melanomas arise on new moles, wholesale removal of moles has never been considered effective at preventing melanoma.  I'd recommend getting good baseline pictures and just watching those moles for change.

            • April 23, 2017 at 2:24 pm
            Jamie1960
            Participant

              +1 / The concept of "field cancerization" first proposed in 1953 by Slaughter et al. and being further researched at Dana Farber today would also seem to argue against wholesale pre-emptive removal of existing individual moles.

              In addition to quarterly examinations by dermatologist and / or surgeon, I try to keep a close eye on the "ugly ducklings" (as that term is used by dermatologists) to help focus my own self-inspections.

            • April 23, 2017 at 2:54 am
            jennunicorn
            Participant
              • April 24, 2017 at 9:31 am
              stars
              Participant

                I think all of us consider this when first diagnosed… unfortunately it's just not effective and not done.

                  • April 25, 2017 at 4:49 pm
                  KatieB
                  Participant

                    Thanks for all of your responses.  Like all of you, I now hate my moles and would love to feel like I'm doing something proactive.  

                     

                    My melanoma is right next to a mole that was found to be precancerous on my back years ago and there are a 4-5 others right near them. They're all atypical and I couldn't tell a difference in any of them.  I'm hoping I can take those off  –  because I can't see them to track them, and they are in the part of my body that has received the most sun, and they are so close to the others…  it would make me feel better to take them off anyway…  

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