Check the mole! In what cases should urgently go to the doctor?

Description: A practical guide to self-diagnosis of melanoma. How to distinguish a harmless mole from a deadly tumor - ABCDE rules, alarming symptoms and the latest survival statistics.


Silent epidemic: why melanoma has become a global threat
Over the past decade, the incidence of melanoma has increased by 40% – today it is the most aggressive skin cancer, responsible for 75% of deaths in the oncodermatological pathology category. One person dies of melanoma every 57 minutes, and 90% of cases are preventable with early diagnosis.

“Melanoma is not a sentence if you catch it before it goes deep into the skin. But every minute of procrastination reduces the chances of survival by half, said Dr. Alexandra Barczuk, a dermato-oncologist.
The ABCDE Rule: The Survival Alphabet
In 1985, dermatologists developed a mnemonic self-diagnosis system that saved millions of lives. Its relevance is only growing:

• A (Asymmetry) – if you mentally divide a mole in half, the parts will not match.
• B (Boundaries) - torn, jagged or blurred edges;
• C (Color) - a combination of brown, black, red or blue shades;
• D (diameter) - more than 6 mm (the size of a pencil eraser);
• E (Evolution) - changes over the past 3-6 months :cite[5]:cite[7].

Invisible Killers: 5 Factors You Didn't Know About
People with more than 50 moles have a 4 times higher risk of melanoma. Every new education after the age of 35 is a red flag.[8]

• Sunburn in childhood: Just 5 episodes before age 18 increase the risk by 80%.
• Nail lamp: UV radiation in nail offices damages the DNA of cells;
• Genetic bomb: Mutations in the CDKN2A or BRCA2 genes increase the risk by up to 60%.
• Silent zones: 30% of melanomas develop on the feet, palms and under the nails
• Age paradox: After 65 years, men are sick 3 times more often than women.

Statistics that will make you check your skin
Stage 5-year survival I (localized) 94-99%II (thickness 2-4 mm) 45-79%III (metastases to the lymph nodes) 24-70%IV (remote organs) 7-20%Data: American Cancer Society (2023) .



Technology against cancer: how doctors find the invisible
Modern diagnostics uses methods comparable to space technologies:

• Digital dermatoscopy 92% accuracy when analyzing 120 mole parameters
• AI algorithms Neural networks detect melanoma with an accuracy of 95%.
• Liquid biopsy Detection of tumor DNA in the blood at the preclinical stage.

Glossary
Melanocytes
Pigment cells of the skin from which melanoma develops.
Dysplastic nevus
Atypical mole at high risk of transformation into cancer :cite[3].

Watchdog lymph node
The first lymph node on the path of metastasis, examined by biopsy.