Researchers at the Cleveland Clinic in the US said genetic testing to assess risk factors for patients with a family history of melanoma is rare, with limited previous studies showing that only 2-2.5 percent of all cases are genetic. . ,
The results, published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, showed that 15 percent (1 in 7) of patients who received a melanoma diagnosis between 2017 and 2020 had a mutation in a cancer susceptibility gene.
The clinic's Joshua Arbesman said genetic testing could help physicians "proactively identify, screen, and even treat families" with inherited genes.
He urged physicians and insurance companies to "expand their criteria when it comes to offering genetic testing to individuals with a family history of melanoma".
"This is because the inherited tendency is not as rare as we believe," he said.
The findings also support an increasingly popular opinion among cancer biologists: There are risk factors beyond sun exposure that can affect a person's likelihood of developing melanoma.
"Not all of my patients had mutations that made them more sensitive to the sun," Joshua said.
"There's clearly something else going on here and more research is needed," he said.
The results, published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, showed that 15 percent (1 in 7) of patients who received a melanoma diagnosis between 2017 and 2020 had a mutation in a cancer susceptibility gene.
The clinic's Joshua Arbesman said genetic testing could help physicians "proactively identify, screen, and even treat families" with inherited genes.
He urged physicians and insurance companies to "expand their criteria when it comes to offering genetic testing to individuals with a family history of melanoma".
"This is because the inherited tendency is not as rare as we believe," he said.
The findings also support an increasingly popular opinion among cancer biologists: There are risk factors beyond sun exposure that can affect a person's likelihood of developing melanoma.
"Not all of my patients had mutations that made them more sensitive to the sun," Joshua said.
"There's clearly something else going on here and more research is needed," he said.
