Lunares en un brazo, predicen conteo total corporal!

Mole Count on One Arm Predicts Total Body Mole Count

By Kelly Young

Edited by David G. Fairchild, MD, MPH, and Jaye Elizabeth Hefner, MD

The number of moles, or nevi, on one's arm is predictive of the number of moles on the rest of the body — which in turn is associated with melanoma risk — according to a study in the British Journal of Dermatology.

Researchers conducted full-body skin examinations, focusing on 17 body sites, on nearly 3700 twin white females in the U.K. and 415 white male and female controls. 

Nevi on the arms were most predictive of total body nevus counts in both groups. In the twin study, women with more than seven nevi on the right arm had nearly nine times the risk for having over 50 total body nevi, relative to those who had fewer than seven on the arm. In addition, those with more than 11 on the arm had nine times the risk for over 100 total body nevi, "that is in itself a strong predictor of risk for melanoma."

The researchers conclude: "This fast clinical evaluation should be used for a quick estimation of melanoma risk in general practices."

British Journal of Dermatology article (Free PDF)

Background: NEJM Journal Watch Dermatology coverage of genetic variants and elevated mole count (Your NEJM Journal Watch registration required)

Benjamin Hidalgo-Matlock

Skin Care Physicians of Costa Rica

4000-1054

2208-8206

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