How to distinguish a melanoma from a mole? Here are the symptoms and how to recognize it with the rule "Abcde"

In Italy every year – according to the register Airtum – 7,300 new cases are developed melanoma among men and 6,700 among women, with an incidence that has doubled in the last 10 years. A "detachable" data thanks to the prevention kit: pay attention to the rule ofA B C D E (Asymmetry, jagged edges, variegated color, size greater than 6 millimeters, rapid evolution over time), to the health of moles, to correct behavior in the sun and regular checks at least once a year, preferably before or after summer. These are some of the recommendations that were highlighted by experts on the occasion of World Melanoma Day, May 13.
Specialists also invite you to watch some symptoms such as bleeding, itching or dryness of a pre-existing mole, a "shimmer" surrounded by a nodule or red area. Making prevention or discovering the disease at a very early stage now means making melanoma more treatable, thanks to a multidisciplinary approach to the disease and innovative treatment protocols – from new experimental drugs to targeted treatment at the clinic. 39 immunotherapy, now also used in adjuvant therapy and not only in cases of metastatic melanoma, to surgery that often manages to cure definitively the disease at the preliminary stage – proposed by the centers of excellence present in most of the territory. Treatments that allow a radical change of perspective of the quality of life and the possibility of survival of the patient.
"Excellent contact centers with dedicated melanoma units – says Alessandra Gennari, Associate Professor of Oncology at the University of Eastern Piedmont and Director of the Complex Structure of Oncology at the Novara Hospital – makes the difference in the diagnostic-therapeutic approach of the disease". These structures, in fact "they allow to take care of the patient using, where appropriate, the close collaboration between oncologists and dermatologists, with the participation of surgeons, radiotherapists, pathologists and to insert the patient into a Pdta. It is a "specialized" pathway for diagnosing and treating melanoma that accompanies access to the structure for a first mole mapping visit, to any need for diagnostic and therapeutic oncology, surgical or medical, depending on stage of the disease.".
To prevent a mole from becoming a melanoma, it is necessary to implement correct behaviors under the sun, with a prevention and protection kit made on the one hand by practical measures: gradual exposure to the sun, especially the first days; avoid "lizarding" during the central hours of the day (11 am to 5 pm); no tanning without using appropriate sunscreens with proper filters, replacing them with a generous layer all over the body (including often forgotten areas such as eyelids, eyes, ears, feet) after each bath and every 2 hours from the previous application.
And more: wear, or in particular, children, protective clothing and screens such as t-shirts, hats / bandannas, sunglbades; moisturize the skin by drinking lots of water and eating fruits and vegetables under the umbrella during the day; nourish the skin at the end of the day with a deep moisturizer. "The dermatologist plays a key role – specifies Gennari – first sentry to identify the presence of a melanoma, but also educator regarding the risk factors of its development. In fact, this neoplasm is preventable by both correct exposure to the sun, in accordance with stated principles, and periodic checks, and whenever changes are observed in the "structure" of the vehicle.".
"The therapeutic breakthrough of the last decade – concludes Gennari – was represented by the introduction of new drugs that improved the survival and quality of life of patients. These include target therapy, target molecular therapies that have reduced the use of chemotherapy in advanced diseases, which can now also be used in adjuvant therapy, that is, for purposes preventive after surgery for melanoma elimination, and immunotherapy.".