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SkinCancerNet Article
How
to Help a Dermatologist Assess Your Risk
Your family and personal
medical histories provide vital information that help a
dermatologist assess your risk for developing skin cancer,
especially melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. Medical
research shows that a family history of melanoma greatly increases
one’s risk of developing melanoma. When this risk factor, a family
history of melanoma, is combined with other risk factors, such as
atypical moles and a previous melanoma, the risk for developing
melanoma can increase significantly. For some, the increase may be
as much as 500 fold.
For this reason, it is helpful when you can provide:
Dermatologists frequently find that
while a patient knows a close blood relative had skin cancer, the
patient does not know which type of skin cancer. In some cases,
dermatologists also find that patients who have had a previous skin
cancer do not know which type of skin cancer they had. To accurately
assess a patient’s risk for developing melanoma or another skin
cancer, it is important for the dermatologist to have this
information. Accurate risk assessment can lead to earlier diagnosis
and treatment.
An educational program brought to you by the American Academy of
Dermatology. |
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