Is melanoma hereditary?

Melanoma is a common malignant skin tumor that is very harmful. It is a common skin tumor caused by excessive proliferation of abnormal melanocytes. It is highly malignant and accounts for the vast majority of deaths from skin tumors. It often occurs in the skin or mucous membranes close to the skin, and is also seen in the pia mater and choroid. Its incidence varies with different races, regions, and ethnicities. So is melanoma hereditary?

Multiple melanomas may be related to genetic factors.

A retrospective study of 56 patients with melanoma analyzed risk factors for the disease. These patients had a total of 157 melanomas. Of these patients, 64.7% had a family history of melanoma and 70.8% had a family history of dysplastic nevi. Eighty-two percent of the 50 patients examined had dysplastic nevi. Sixty percent of patients had both clinically confirmed dysplastic nevi and a family history of melanoma.

The mean age of patients at melanoma diagnosis was 38.2 years, and 58.9% of patients were younger than 40 years. The mean interval between the first and second melanoma resection was 34.3 months. In 76.8% of cases, the second melanoma was in a different anatomical site than the first tumor.

The high incidence of dysplastic nevi in ​​patients and their family members, the common family history of melanoma, and the early onset of melanoma suggest that genetic factors are involved in the occurrence of multiple melanomas. Therefore, patients with one of the above risk factors should pay special attention.