There is a fear regarding the injuries of moles - supposedly this contributes to their degeneration into a cancer tumor. We decided to check if this is confirmed by scientific data.

Stories about the damaged mole and subsequent cancer are not only transmitted from mouth to mouth and spread to Blogs. Problem Interested Users of questions and answers; about the presence of danger, but the lack of evidence of direct communication write Specialized sites, doing accent on chronic trauma. Publications on the relationship of mole injuries with cancer and in Media various countries, from Kazakhstan to Belarus.

Moles are spots or knots on the skin, which are called in a scientific nevus. They are benign neoplasms arising from specific Neugat cells, subspecies of melanocytes. Melanocytes, in turn, are cells that synthesize the pigment melanin, which gives the skin coloring. However, ordinary melanocytes are distributed evenly in the skin, and inappropriate cells accumulate in the form of nests. The inappropriate cells from which moles are formed are laid in the intrauterine period of human development, that is, the skin is literally “programmed” for the appearance of a nevus from birth. However, a mole can appear at any moment of life - most often in childhood, adolescence or with hormonal changes, for example, during pregnancy.

Skin cancer is a collective name for basal cell and flat cell carcinoma. From a strictly formal point of view to skin cancer, that is, tumors forming from epithelial cells, melanoma does not apply, since its predecessor cells are melanocytes. Although many sources, including authoritative, denote all three pathologies with the collective name “cancer”, more precisely, it will be said about malignant neoplasms of the skin.

Basal cell carcinoma, or basalioma, is the most common Oncological pathology of the skin. She Formed From the basal cells of the epidermis located in its lower layer. Basalioma most often occurs in open areas of the body, most susceptible to sunlight - the neck, face and hands. Thus, the effect of ultravioletus is the main predisposing factor the occurrence of this type of cancer. Among others are radiation therapy, intake of immunosuppressants, arsenic, family and personal history (about 25% of patients with one basal cell carcinoma over the next five years from the moment the first tumor is developed Appears new). Bazalioma is more subject to fair-skinned people who are often burning in the sun, and due to the fact that the tumor develops extremely slowly, for decades, it is usually diagnosed in older people. At the same time, this is one of the most non -aggressive tumors - it almost does not give metastases, and for its treatment most often enough removal of affected fabrics with a scalpel, laser or cryodestruction method. No There is no connection between moles and basalioma, since it is in principle formed from other layers of the skin.

Similar story and with Flight cell skin cancer, the second most common type of malignant neoplasms of the skin. It occurs with the degeneration of flat cells located in the middle and upper layers of the epidermis. Flat cell carcinoma, as well as basalioma, more often arises In open areas of the skin, however, it can also develop where the sun's rays usually do not fall, for example, in the oral cavity, on the soles of the legs or genitals. In addition to the effects of ultraviolet radiation from the sun or solarium, a number of other skin diseases contribute to the development of plane cell cancer (Actinic keratosis or Bowan's disease), a weakened immune system (for example, in people with leukemia or lymphoma, as well as in those who accept immunosuppressants after organs transplantation), the presence of human papilloma virus, as well as a rare genetic disease - a pigmented xeroderm. Light skin, male floor and age over 50 also Relate To risk factors. Squatcell carcinoma - also enough Non -aggressive A tumor, rarely giving metastases and is well lend itself to treatment. There is also no connection between mole injury and flat cell carcinoma, but there is a connection between this type of cancer and skin damage. Grazholena ulcer, a subspecies of flat cell carcinoma, is formed at the site of chronic injuries or scars (for example, after a burn). This process, although extremely long (transformation occurs an average of about 30 years), but enough aggressive. Return Scars from any violations of the integrity of the skin - thermal burns, surgical interventions, animal bites and even injections can in the ulcer of the marine. Science does not yet know the exact cause of the malignant process. Presumably, the injury violates the work of local blood and lymph vessels, which makes this area immun -priority and protects the scar from antitumor antibodies. In general, this situation can be allowed: the skin area with the mole on it was subjected to a heat burn, and then a scar formed there, which decades later turned into a marzholen ulcer. However, it would be wrong to say that it was the mole in this case by the trigger mechanism for cancer.

Finally, the third type of malignant neoplasms of the skin is melanoma. It does not arise from epithelial cells, but from melanocytes. It would be logical to assume that the areas of the accumulation of melanocytes (that is, nevi) most often become a “platform” for the development of melanoma. However, this is not so - only third all cases of melanoma occurs when a moisture degenerate, in other cases of melanoma Appears On the "clean" skin during the degeneration of individual melanocytes into a malignant tumor. By statistics, the transformation of the nevus into a melanoma occurs in a year in less than one case 200,000 people under 40 years of age. After this age, the risk increases, and first of all for men (about one case by 33,000 over 60 years). The total risk that any mole will be reborn into melanoma throughout life is 0.03% for men and 0.009% for women.

Unlike the basal cell and flat cell carcinoma, melanoma is more Aggressive tumor. When it is found at the first stage, 98% of patients live longer than five years, but at the fourth stage, only half overcomes a six -year line, and then upon receipt of combined immunotherapy.

As in the case of basal cell and flat cell carcinoma, the main factor The risk of melanoma is the effect of ultraviolet radiation. Moreover, the negative effects are influenced not only by natural sunlight, but also by the solarium. Sun burns in children's or adolescence also increase this risk. Puva-therapy (the method of treating psoriasis by applying a photoactive substance to the skin with subsequent irradiation with ultraviolet light) Raises The risk of developing the disease. In addition to the effects of UV rays, to risk factors refers Weakening of the immune system, light skin with large in size and mole -inputic in shape, as well as genetic predisposition. Injuries of both skin as a whole and individual moles among factors There are no risk.

In addition to these three fairly common malignant neoplasms of the skin, there are a number of others. For example, Carcinoma Merkel arises Merkel neuroendocrine cells, evenly located in the skin and outer layers of the hair follicle (around the roots of the hair). She Found Very rarely, from 0.13 to 2.5 cases per 100,000 people per year, the highest incidence rates are observed in Australia and New Zealand. The risk factors of this pathology are age older than 65 years, the effects of ultraviolet radiation, organs transplantation, leukemia, HIV infection and infection with a special pathogen, Merkel cell polyomavirus.

A similar situation with other malignant neoplasms that can appear On the skin - they are in no way connected with moles. So, the sarcoma of Kaposhi is a vascular tumor, the development of which is associated with the eighth-type human herpes virus (HHV-8), people are most susceptible to it after organs and suffering AIDS. The exact cause of skin lymph - tumors from cells of the immune system - scientists have not yet established. Probably, their development is facilitated by immunosuppressive conditions (HIV infection, taking drugs against autoimmune diseases). The stabbing dermatofibrosarcoma is formed in the cells of connective tissue, cause Its occurrence is also unknown - scientists are inclined to the fact that a decisive role is played by a chromosomal mutation.

Cell biologist Philip Nithammer from the Sloon -Kettering Memorial Oncological Center RecognizedWhat in childhood I heard warnings about the danger of mole injury due to its risk of transformation into cancer. According to him, studies for fish-zibra and mice showed that repeated trauma accelerates the development of cancer in this place. The fact is that inflammation that occurs due to injury “attracts” immune cells to this area. The same cells can “fuel” a malignant process. In a number of "human" crayfish, the role of inflammation has already been proven - for example, this becomes a risk factor for cancer direct guts and stomach. However, both animals and people, as studies show, the risk factor is not one -time, but chronic inflammation or repeating injury. At the same time, in 2018, scientists from the Massachusetts Technological Institute Showedthat even a one -time surgery and the following restoration processes can arouse a sleeping breast tumor in mice. However, to transfer data from mice to people, from breast cancer - to malignant skin tumors, and surgical intervention is impossible for household injuries without additional studies. At the end, Nithammer draws attention to the fact that a single case of an oncological disease that arose due to a scratched or other damaged mole has not been documented.

Can assumeIt is difficult to visually distinguish the early stage of melanoma from a mole to a non-specialist to visually distinguish the myth of a traumatic mole into a malignant neoplasm of the skin. Melanoma often bleeds from the slightest effect, and in this case a person can consult a doctor. When the patient receives an disappointing diagnosis, sometimes he connects him with the injury and makes the wrong conclusion that this was the cause of the disease.

Thus, there is no reason to believe that a simple mole injury leads to its degeneration into malignant education. Most of the types of cancer and other oncological diseases that occur on the skin are not associated with moles at all, but with the effects of ultraviolet radiation, therefore it is so important to protect the skin from excessive exposure to the sun. Some connection with moles can be traced only by melanoma, while two-thirds of cases still occur on the skin without nevi. And even melanomas caused by the degeneration of nevi are not associated with their injuries. However, at an early stage, only a specialist can distinguish melanoma from a mole, therefore, with a long -healing damage, it is better to consult a doctor.

Image on the cover: New Port Beach. Dermatology and Plastic Surgery