Is melanoma related to genetics?

According to a recent study, multiple melanomas may be related to genetic factors.

Dr. Jeannet J. Stam-Posthuma of Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands and colleagues conducted a retrospective study of 56 patients with melanoma to analyze the risk factors of the disease. These patients had a total of 157 melanomas.

Of these patients, 64.7 percent had a family history of melanoma and 70.8 percent had a family history of dysplastic nevi. Of the 50 patients examined, 82 percent had dysplastic nevi. Sixty percent of the 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 percent of patients were younger than 40 years. The mean interval between resection of the initial and recurrent melanomas was 34.3 months. In 76.8 percent of cases, the anatomical site of the recurrent melanoma was different from that of the initial tumor.

Dr. Stam-Posthuma's team concluded, "The high incidence of dysplastic nevi in ​​the patient and his family members, the high frequency of family history of melanoma, and the early onset of melanoma suggest that a genetic factor is involved in the development of multiple melanomas." Therefore, patients with one of the above risk factors should pay special attention.