A famous male singer passed away at the age of 37... How to distinguish between melanoma and ordinary moles? 5 criteria to complete self-examination

According to media reports, Zhang Hengyuan, the runner-up of the second season of The Voice of China, died of melanoma at the age of 37. Previously, Zhang Hengyuan had attracted attention in the blind audition stage with his song "Can't Escape" and eventually won the national runner-up. His Weibo showed that the last time he was online was on May 20. Many people were shocked and saddened by the news of Zhang Hengyuan's sudden death.

Melanoma has attracted public attention. What kind of disease is this? What is the connection between melanoma and moles? How can we prevent melanoma?

What is Melanoma

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Melanoma, also known as malignant melanoma, is a type of malignant tumor derived from melanocytes. It is common in the skin, mucous membranes, choroids and other parts of the eye. Melanoma is the most malignant tumor among skin tumors and is prone to distant metastasis. Early diagnosis and treatment are therefore particularly important.

Wu Di, deputy director of the Tumor Center of the First Hospital of Jilin University, said that melanoma is a type of skin cancer, and because of its high malignancy, it is called the "king of cancers." Although melanoma accounts for only 10% of skin cancers, it accounts for 80% of skin cancer mortality. Once metastasis occurs, it is difficult to treat and has a high mortality rate. If black or brown moles appear on the skin of the hands, feet, and limbs, and the area or volume suddenly increases, bulges, or bleeds, you must go to the hospital for a check-up.

What is the connection between melanoma and moles?

Since non-professional doctors cannot distinguish whether a mole is a benign pigmented nevus or an early melanoma, patients must not remove moles at will.

Moles, commonly known as freckles, are benign skin tumors composed of clusters of melanocytes and their surrounding tissues. They can be black, pink, brown, or close to normal skin color. According to where the mole grows in the skin, it can be divided into junctional nevus, compound nevus, and intradermal nevus. Junctional nevus are located at the base of the epidermis, intradermal nevus are located in the dermis, and compound nevus have both. For melanoma, some of them are derived from the malignant transformation of black junctional nevus or compound nevus. It should be noted that some melanomas evolve from the malignant transformation of black moles, but not all black moles can become melanomas.

3 factors increase the probability of cancer

Melanoma may originate from moles and birthmarks on the skin, but ordinary moles will not develop into melanoma. Only when melanocytes grow out of control will they become malignant tumors.

What causes melanocytes to go out of control and become malignant? It is inseparable from these three factors:

1. Ultraviolet radiation

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Ultraviolet radiation may increase the risk of melanoma, which is also reflected in the research report mentioned above. After analyzing melanoma in 33 provinces and cities in my country, researchers found that the incidence rate varies in different provinces. It is higher in the eastern and northeastern regions, especially in some coastal provinces. Under latitude, altitude and climatic conditions, the incidence rate of melanoma is relatively high in areas with stronger ultraviolet radiation.

2. Repeated friction injury

If a mole happens to grow on the sole of the foot, toes, or fingertips, you should pay attention to it. This is because most melanomas are caused by repeated friction and damage to the mole. In addition to the accumulated external friction, many people can't help but repeatedly scrape the mole with their fingers or nail clippers in their lives. These "little actions" are also very dangerous.

3. Congenital inheritance

I believe that many people's moles are "marks" brought from the womb, which can be large or small, more or less. Although there is controversy over the probability of melanoma lesions in this congenital melanocytic nevus, one thing is certain: the risk of melanoma increases with the increase in the size of the congenital melanocytic nevus. A systematic review of high-risk populations for primary cutaneous melanoma in 20 countries confirmed this: about 7.15% of melanoma cases occur in patients with a family history of melanoma, and about 25% of melanomas occur on the basis of pre-existing pigmented tumors.

In addition, factors such as race, pathogen infection, and immune response have also been found to be influencing factors.

5 Criteria for Completing a Self-Check

It is not difficult to determine whether your mole is risky. The National Health Commission has given the internationally accepted "ABCDE rule" as the gold standard for self-diagnosis in the Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Melanoma (2022 Edition). We can use visual inspection and palpation as a means of preliminary diagnosis.

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A. Asymmetry

One half of a benign pigmented spot looks asymmetrical to the other half. This includes structural asymmetry and color asymmetry.

B. Border irregularity

Benign moles tend to have neat edges and smooth round or oval outlines. Be wary of moles with irregular edges or notched or jagged edges.

C. Color variation

Normal pigmented moles are usually solid in color, while melanoma mainly appears as a dirty black color, but can also come in a variety of different colors such as brown, brown, brown-black, blue, pink, black, and even white.

D. Diameter

Pay attention when the diameter of a pigmented nevus is larger than 5 to 6 mm or when the pigmented nevus grows significantly. Melanoma is usually larger than ordinary nevus. It is best to perform a biopsy evaluation on pigmented nevus with a diameter larger than 1 cm.

E. Elevation

In some early melanomas, the entire tumor may be slightly raised.

If we try to find a "dangerous mole" that is changing according to the "ABCDE rule", the most typical example is a dysplastic nevus. The most common site of dysplastic nevus is the trunk, and the most common clinical lesion is a macular lesion with a diameter of 5 mm or more, with irregular and unclear borders, and a varying shade of brown, which can have a reddish hue. It usually presents as a central papule surrounded by a pigmented macular ring, giving it a "fried egg" appearance.

How to Prevent Melanoma

1. Check yourself frequently

Among Asians and other people of color, melanoma originates in the extremities, accounting for about 50%. Common primary sites are the soles of the feet, toes, fingertips, and subungual areas. In daily life, you should pay special attention to whether there is a sudden increase in size, or a change in color from darker to lighter, accompanied by tingling, burning, bleeding, pus, etc. If any suspicious moles grow on your body, you should also seek medical attention in time.

2. Keep your hands to yourself

The National Health Commission clearly pointed out in the Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Melanoma (2022 Edition) that the occurrence of melanoma is related to many inappropriate methods of treating moles, such as salting, cutting, needle picking, and rope strangulation. If a mole grows in a part that is prone to friction or affects the appearance, do not scratch it habitually or squeeze it like a pimple. Don't easily try to remove moles at unknown mole removal stalls or beauty salons. Improper operation may cause scarring, but it may lead to cancer.

3. Don’t be lazy about sun protection

The fact is that the vast majority of skin cancers are caused by exposure to ultraviolet light from the sun or indoor tanning equipment. Regular use of sunscreen, wearing protective clothing, wide-brimmed hats and sunglasses, actively seeking shade when in the sun, limiting outdoor time during midday when the sun's ultraviolet radiation is strongest, and avoiding indoor tanning are all good ways to prevent melanoma.

In life, many details are full of hidden dangers, and the more familiar we are with them, the easier it is to ignore them. Once you find a mole at the end of your limbs and it develops rapidly, you should go to a cancer hospital or a dermatology department as soon as possible.